“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
Believing in God is important. Many claim that they do, but our faith must be demonstrated through obedience. Doing God’s will will not always agree with our own will. There will be times when what God asks of us requires us to put aside what we want, how we feel, or what seems right to us.
One important example is forgiveness. We may want to hold onto a grudge, wait for an apology, or feel that someone does not deserve forgiveness. But God’s will requires us to forgive. We cannot choose which commands of God we will obey and which ones we will ignore. Forgiveness is not based on whether we feel like doing it; it is based on whether we are willing to do God’s will.
Think about something as simple as following a speed limit. You may be running late and feel that driving faster will get you where you need to go. However, the law does not change simply because you have a reason for breaking it. You have to decide whether you will follow the rule or do what is convenient for you.
Our walk with God requires the same decision. There will be moments when God’s way conflicts with our way, when our way suits us at that time. At those moments, we must choose obedience over our own will.
We should not only ask, “Do I believe in God?” We should also ask, “Am I willing to do His will?” Our belief must produce obedience, because Jesus said that those who do the will of the Father are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, not just those who say they do.
May the God of the Bible bless you,
Bishop Bira Joshua
