Jesus prayed earnestly, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39
It was not the will of Jesus to drink the bitter cup and to die upon the cross, but because it was the will of His Father, He consented to it.
Jesus, who was the Creator of the whole universe, would He not be wise enough to know what to do, but what did He say? “I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” John 5:30. And the will of the Father was that He will carry His cross and suffer and die upon it.
Now what is the will of the Father concerning us? “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24. The key words in this verse are, “will” and the “cross.”
Our will is the governing power in our nature. And this kingly power rules our thoughts, words, and actions. Will is not taste, nor inclination, nor feeling; it is above them all as a supreme ruler. As the cross was not the will of Jesus, it is not our will either, but there is one power that is above our will and that is the will of the Father, which functions through love; and if there is love to God, our cross becomes enjoyable even.
It is a fearful thing for man to set his will against the will of God, yet this is exactly what Satan did, and it caused his downfall. This is also what Adam and Eve did, and as a result, billions fell into sin and destruction.
Every sin that man commits is against the will of God, and that way man places himself above God and makes an idol of himself.
There is a small animal called the lemming, about five inches long, similar to the rabbit, very common in Norway. They travel in large companies from place to place, all following the leader. When the leader goes to the sea and drowns himself, thousands follow and drown also. We may think that these little animals are very foolish, but in reality, intelligent people do the same. The whole world is like these lemmings.
We read in the Spirit of Prophecy, “Satan leads them into a round of gaiety and pleasure-seeking, of eating and drinking. He fills them with ambition to make an exhibition that will exalt self. Step by step, the world is reaching the condition that existed in the days of Noah. Every conceivable crime is committed. The lust of the flesh, the pride of the eyes, the display of selfishness, the misuse of power, the cruelty, and the force used to cause men to unite with confederacies and unions—binding themselves up in bundles for the burning of the great fires of the last days—all these are the working of Satanic agencies. . . . The world, who act as though there were no God, absorbed in selfish pursuits, will soon experience sudden destruction, and shall not escape. Many continue in the careless gratification of self until they become disgusted with life that they kill themselves. Dancing and carousing, drinking and smoking, indulging their animal passions, they go as an ox to the slaughter.” –Evangelism, p. 26
“My heart is pained, I can scarcely restrain my feelings, when I think of how easily our people are led away from practical Christian principles to self-pleasing. . . . The Lord abhors your selfish practices.” –Testimonies to Ministers, p. 398
“But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” 1 Timothy 5:6
Many professed Christians are committing spiritual suicide when they turn from self-sacrifice to self-pleasing.
When Lucifer spoke to the angels in heaven, inviting them to join with him in the rebellion against God, if he would have been truthful he would have said, “Join with me in the war against God and His people for six thousand years, and cause death for all mankind and in the end we will die in the lake of fire.” How many angels would have joined with him?
If Adam and Eve had believed God when they were about to eat of the forbidden tree, they would have said, “Let us eat of this tree and kill ourselves and also the billions who are born after us, and even Christ would have to die because of it. Shall we now eat of this tree?”
When you are about to do sin, if you are truthful, you will say, “I don’t love you, God, I love Satan, he gives me pleasure of sin, and if I am lost, I don’t care.”
When you stay away from prayer meetings, you can truthfully say, “I don’t want to go where Christ, or angels go. I am not interested to listen to God’s words or prayers. When you neglect missionary work, being truthful, you would say, “I am not my brother’s keeper, if their blood is in my garments, we perish together.”
These may be small things but their results are far reaching. These are terrible decisions that we make daily. These are decisions for eternity, and how many make terrible mistakes in these decisions, following their own will and ignoring the will of God. If you want to know the will of God, then read the Bible through and the nine volumes of the Testimonies for the Church, and other books of the Spirit of Prophecy and attend all religious meetings.
In Hosea chapter 4: 6, we read, “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.” Yet the knowledge of God’s will is freely offered to everyone. Also, the power to obey God’s will is available to all honest seekers.
The will of God is that we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” John 16:33
Also we read, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22
Also, the will of God is to see us in heaven, glorified, reflecting the perfect image of Jesus, and having our faces shining happiness and fullness of joy. When we consider the end of the road, our destination, then let us all say, “Father, not our will, but Thy will be done in our lives.” AMEN.
Timo Martin