The mark of a disciple is in saying, “Thy will be done,” but the mark of a mature disciple is in saying, “Thy will I love.” I cannot congratulate myself that I have reached the pinnacle until I can say with Paul, “That good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2. KJV).
The goodness of God’s will lies in my seeing that God is not taking advantage of me. The beginning of all sin lies in the idea that God is not to be trusted, that He is sneaky and deceitful. I see that in the insinuation, “Yea, hath God said … ?” (Genesis 3:1, KJV). As long as I see God in that light, I will never be able to say His will is good.
The acceptability of God’s will lies in the pleasure it gives me. The words of Jesus are: “I delight to do Thy will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). Until I relish God’s will and find great joy in receiving it, I cannot say it is acceptable to me. The pleasure of God’s will is not variable but invariable; that is, I must find joy in it regardless of whether it means pain or pleasantness.
The perfection of God’s will lies in my realizing that neither I nor anyone else could do the thing any better. When I accept God’s will as perfect, I am saying, “This is God’s best; there is no better way.”
The will of God is the proper measurement of my devotion to Him. Do I refuse His will? Then I am acting the natural man. Do I perform His will, but do it grudgingly and complainingly? Then I am acting the carnal man. Do I receive His will with joy and take delight in doing it? Then I am acting the spiritual man.
Lord, help me take my measurement today, and delight in Your will because I can say, “Thy law is deep within my heart” (Psalm 40:8, Berkeley, italics added).
“O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine” (Psalm 119:97–98).
Daily with the King 