“A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:32-34 (NASB95, emphasis mine)
What does it mean to do the will of God? What does God’s will even look like? We pray that God’s will be done all the time, but do we really understand what it means?
The will of God is for you to be pure. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5) As image-bearers of God, we are commanded to abstain from sexual impurity. We are vessels of sanctification and honor.
The will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2) Our minds are to be transformed and renewed as we shun the ways of the world.
The will of God is for you to be wise and sober-minded. (Ephesians 5:15-20) In this passage, we are commanded to be careful how we walk and spend our time, sober and filled with the Spirit, and always singing and giving thanks to the Lord.
The will of God is for you to be joyful and thankful. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) We have so much to be grateful for in life. We should not forget to thank Him for everything He provides.
The will of God is for you to honor your authority and stand for what is right. (1 Peter 2:13-17) While honoring those put in office over you, we should do good and put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. At the same time, we are to live as free people, honor everybody, love our brothers, fear God, and honor our authority.
The will of God is for you to endure. (Hebrews 10:35-36) We are to keep our confidence and endurance, as it brings great reward.
The will of God is for you to believe. (John 6:38-40) We are to tell everyone of the good news of the Son of God, so that they may believe, and also become brothers and sisters.
To an independent person who can’t wait to break out into the world, these verses might sound like a dull laundry list of rules that will hang over our heads for the rest of our life. But to be a Christian isn’t a list of rules to follow; it’s a relationship with Jesus. His love for us should inspire us to live a life for Him, in which casting away our old self comes naturally.
He sees us and our wild dreams and schemes. We should be laying our desires before God, covering our hopes and dreams with prayer as we pursue them, and becoming more like Jesus in the way we think, talk, and act.
His love for us should inspire us to live a life for Him, in which casting away our old self comes naturally.
Only then, when we are seeking Jesus in everything we do, working unto the Lord instead of ourselves, and eagerly waiting for Jesus, will we find God’s will for our lives.
We can rest knowing that we don’t have to do everything in our own strength. God equips us to do His will, as the Hebrew benediction reminds us. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The world may be dark right now, but with our hope in Jesus, our future is bright.
Author Info
Ashlynn Morris
Ashlynn Morris is a 17-year-old writer who can’t wait to be a published author one day. With a wild imagination, she creates the stories she wants to see on her shelf. She lives with her family in Houston, Texas, and is the oldest of five. When she’s not writing, she loves reading, studying the Bible, acting, filmmaking, walking to her local bookstore, playing with her bunny, watching old movies, journaling, and hanging out with her friends. She graduated in 2023 and can’t wait to see where the Lord takes her next.