Do All to the Glory of God
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Jesus said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17). The essential prerequisite to knowing the will of God is a willingness to accept it before you know what it is. Suppose God’s plan for your life is on the other side of a closed door and you ask, “What is it?” Why do you want to know? So you can decide whether or not you want to go through the door? If God is God, doesn’t He have the right to decide what is on the other side?
If we don’t give Him that right, we have usurped the throne of God and He is no longer the Lord of our lives. George Mueller wrote, “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly ready in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.”
It is helpful to ask ourselves two questions when trying to discern God’s will. First, will God be glorified if we do it? We glorify God when we bear fruit (see John 15:8), which includes the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of reproduction. If what we are doing cannot be done without violating the fruit of the Spirit, it is best that we don’t do it. This is the greatest test of our faith in public. In the face of temptation or hostile opposition, can we continue living by the Spirit, or will we defer to the flesh?
We are in the will of God if we maintain our position in Christ and let the fruit of the Spirit be evident in our lives. As long as we are within the moral boundaries of God, “all things are lawful,” though “not all things are profitable” (1 Corinthians 10:23). In exercising our own freedom, we do not have the right to violate another person’s conscience. We must restrict our freedom for the sake of the weaker Christian and always consider the good of others.
A second question relates to our witness. Can we do whatever is in question and be a positive witness for the Lord Jesus Christ? Paul says, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. . . . I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19-20,22-23).
If we are compromising our witness, we cannot be in the center of God’s will. There are many morally neutral activities in which we can participate, but sometimes we don’t have the maturity to do so without giving in to old flesh patterns. In such cases, it is best to not participate in them until we have reached enough maturity to stay in God’s will and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.
a few questions to ponder:
Why do many people hesitate to fully yield their lives to God?
Why must there be a willingness on our part to accept God’s plan for our lives before we know what it is?
What two questions are important to ask when deciding whether something is right or wrong for ourselves?
What “morally neutral” activities have you avoided, or should you avoid, so as to not compromise your witness?
How convinced are you that God’s will for your life is good, acceptable and perfect for you?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.