His will

DEVOTION

PROPHESIES AND FULFILLMENTS CONCERNING CHRIST

HIS WILL

Ps 40:7-8

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come — it is written about me in the scroll.   8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

NIV

It would seem natural to think that Jesus would do the will of the Father as he was with the Father from before the beginning of time, at least time as we understand it. It would make perfect sense the law was within the heart of Jesus as he was God, as we understand the triune God. But let us add the fulfillment of these words.

Matt 26:39

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 

NIV

Heb 10:5-7

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, 'Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.'"  

NIV

There is no question within our heart and mind, Jesus is the ultimate and last sacrifice for sin. He came to earth as a man for the express purpose to be that sacrifice. God had established the law to show his people they needed Jesus. However, although Jesus came to do the will of the Father, in his humanity he struggled with doing the Fathers will. In his prayer in the garden we see him asking if there is any other way, if somehow the Father could come up with doing it differently. This is a great question asked by many scholars. Did Jesus really not want to go to the cross, a plan that had been in the works before the foundation of the earth, or was this just to show us how we should approach difficult situations? We know he was tempted in every way we would ever be tempted. Although he was fully God, he was also fully man, with all the feelings, emotions and desires of man. Surely in his humanity he was not looking forward to the suffering he was going to endure. But as fully God he was here to do the will of himself. We know he did, but the question is do we do the will of the Father. First, it would seem right in order to do his will, we must know what his will is. This could be divided into two aspects. One, doing his will as a Christian, two, doing his individual will which he has called us to, as a member of the body. All of us as believer are called to follow the will of God in our attitudes and behaviors. We are instructed throughout scripture as to how we should think and act. This is the general will of God for all believers. But then he has elected each one of us to a specific will. This is his calling for us as individuals, just as Jesus, he had a specific will for him. Throughout his life he lived within the general will of the father. He healed people, he preached the good news, he called people to follow him, he discipled the twelve. These are all things we should be doing as believers, as followers of Jesus. We should be doing the general will of the Father as Jesus did, if we say we are his followers. That implies we follow what he did. In Fact we are told there no greater love than to lay down our life for others. He did that as the specific will of the Father. Of course we do not have to go to the cross, but he did tell us to pick up our cross and follow him. However as a believer we are to prefer others before ourselves and in that sense we are laying down our life for them. But what about the specific will of the Father for each one of us? He has called each of us to a special will just for us. We are being built, as living stones, into the temple of God. That is each stone has a specific place in the temple, doing a special part. None of us can do nothing, or just live trying to live the general will of God. We all have a special task, a special will which we have been called to. Jesus knew his, we should know ours. We cannot just go about living our own life, incorporating God into it. Our lives should be about doing what God has called us to do, while incorporating our life into his will. But what is his specific will for each one of us? We need to seek him, find that answer, know it in our heart and mind and be about living it out in our lives. It certainly does not mean we all have been called into the full time ministry, or into missions. But we have all been called to do something for the kingdom of God. Let us always have the attitude of Jesus. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.