Daily Devotion: Recognizing God's Will

Scripture:
Romans 12: 1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Observation:
We often hear Christians say that they want to do the will of the Lord. This is perfectly fine, as long as it is truly our heart's desire to do the will of the Lord. But what does "doing the will of the Lord" mean? While our Lord Jesus Christ was praying the night before his arrest, he told the Father, "not my will, but your will be done" (Luke 22:42). When Jesus prayed that prayer, He has completely surrendered His life to the Father. Jesus was simply being obedient to what the Father wanted Him to do. So when we say we want to do His will, we must be prepared to obey the Lord at all costs.

Application:
The Lord communicates His will to us in many ways: through the Bible, through the Holy Spirit's leading, through godly people, and through special circumstances. But it is not enough that we recognize the Lord's will. More importantly, we must learn to walk with God and to surrender our life to Him. We must offer our life as a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord and be prepared to do the Lord's will. Jesus surrendered His life to the Father's will because He believed in God's greater purpose. The Lord wants us to live according to His will because he also has a greater purpose for us.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son's sacrifice on the cross. He has shown us the greatest example of what it means to do your will. Lord, thank you for revealing your will in my life. Give me a heart that genuinely loves to follow your ways. Let my spirit be obedient and submissive to your will so you may work your greater purpose in my life. This I pray in Jesus's mighty name. AMEN.