As we start the new year we might be asking, “What will I do?”  We might think about traveling or visiting friends and relatives or even going on a mission trip.  All of them are good; we should do them; but we do them with this in mind: In a bigger scheme, life is about doing the will of God and accomplishing His work, as succinctly said by Our Lord Jesus, that His food was to do the will of Him who sent Him and to finish His work (John 4:34). Wherever we are, whatever we do, we need to ask this simple question, “Am I doing the will of God?” Or “Am I in the will of God?”  And from time to time we, too, should ask retrospectively, “Am I accomplishing His work?”

What is the will of God?  Since the will of God is interwoven with the command of God in that the command of God reflects the will of God, we can then say that in a nutshell, the will of God is to love Him and to love others (Matthew 22:37-39). So, to know whether we are in the will of God or doing the will of God, we just need to ask, “Am I loving God and others?”  If we are filled with bitterness and anger, we, can, then say that we are not in the will of God and not doing the will of God.  In the same token, if whatever it is we do is only advancing our goal and interest, not God’s goal and interest, we can conclude that we are not finishing the work of God, which is: People believe in the One He has sent, Jesus Our Lord (John 6:29). 

In his book, An Introduction to Prayer, Bishop Robert Barron writes, “Christians realize that they don’t tell their own story . . . but rather that they already belong to a Story . . .”  God has a story and we are in it; He already casts us with a role.  But to remain in His story, we must do His will and finish His work.  Knowing this gives us not only peace of mind but also purpose and meaning in life.  So, don’t write our own story; stay in His story.  If we do His will and finish His work, we will always be in His story—the story of love and redemption.  

Pastor Paul