I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.
– John 5:30 (NKJV)
Jesus lived his life fully surrendered to the will of His Father. He didn’t act on His own desires or ambitions, but aligned every decision with God’s purpose. What an impossible standard that is for us! And yet it is there that we are offered the matchless gift of God’s grace.
Unlike Jesus, we won’t achieve sinless perfection in this life. But we can seek to live according to God’s will by relying on His strength rather than our own. Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
While we will never be exactly like Jesus in His perfection, we can grow to reflect His character more and more as we walk with Him daily. It’s not about achieving perfection, but rather living in surrender and being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You see, God’s will for us really isn’t some deep mystery that we must struggle to uncover. He has made His revealed will for us clear in Scripture.
We begin by obeying His commandments. Jesus reminds us, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23).
We follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. But being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our daily life requires intentional discipline. We should never become so busy or distracted with things going on around us that we can’t sense what God is communicating to us. The apostle Paul says, “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25 NLT).
Care for what He’s entrusted to you. Steward your relationships, responsibilities, and resources well. I like the way J.B. Phillips puts it: “The man who is faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things, and the man who cheats in the little things will cheat in the big things too” (Luke 16:10).
Use your natural abilities. Not all of us can be doctors, professors, or mechanical engineers. God gave you specific abilities that set you apart from everyone else, that are to be used to serve God and others. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
Exercise your spiritual gifts. If you are in Christ, He has equipped you for ministry, and we all have a ministry of some sort. Maybe it’s caring for the elderly, playing a musical instrument, having the ability to sing, or just being someone that people trust and know they can go to when they need advice or encouragement. Serve where God has placed you. “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).
Jesus shows us that true fulfillment comes not from chasing our own plans but from seeking the Father’s will in all things. What is one step you can take today to follow His leading?
Today’s Prayer: Father, I know that I’m imperfect and I can never live a sinless life as Jesus lived. But I thank You that though Him, I am forgiven and filled with Your Spirit. Help me to seek Your will daily, to obey Your Word, and to rely on Your strength rather than my own. Shape my heart to reflect Jesus more and more, and guide my steps so that I may walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 