“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:21
Our admission to God’s Kingdom comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. There’s nothing we, in our imperfection, can do to earn our way into the presence of our perfect God. However, genuine faith that saves is never just a matter of appearances or words, hand-raising or aisle-walking. Bumper stickers and car magnets won’t suffice.
If you’ve been saved by Jesus Christ and made new in Him, you will increasingly desire to do the will of God. Your will should be decreasing as His will increases in its influence on your thoughts, words, and actions. It isn’t enough to talk a good game as a Christian or to simply attend church once a week. If we’re saved, you and I will truly walk in the footsteps of Christ. We must accept His invitation to take up our cross each and every day, denying ourselves, and following Him.
The will of God is transformation of our hearts and minds to become like Jesus. The will of God is transformation of our lives to live like Jesus, act like Jesus, and actively share Jesus. The will of God is disciple-making, good-work-doing, light-shining, lost-seeking, difficult-person-loving obedience to everything Christ commanded.
We can’t do any of that on our own, at least not for long. However, in Christ, we’re given the Holy Spirit and as we yield our life to Him, His Spirit empowers us and changes us to do the will of God. Don’t try to skate through life simply cheering Jesus on. Do the hard work of obeying God’s will every day in His power!