The Will of God 

   “Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.  But whoever does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2: 17) 

   Pick a book of the Bible, any book.  What you will find is the guidance to live according to the will of God, to serve Him in all you do.  I call it guidance because we can refuse if we so choose, and many do.  However, unless we follow this guidance we will never see the promised land, God’s heavenly kingdom.

   But what does it mean to do the will of God?  In one way it’s quite simple, the will of God is to love.  Love, when understood properly, encompasses all that is contained in the will of God.  He is Love, He created the world and all that is in it, including you and me because of His love,  He sent His Son to die for our sins because of His love.  We are forgiven and the gates to the kingdom opened to us because of His great love for us.

   If He is love, what more can we do to follow His will than to love; both Him and all His children, sinners as well as the righteous.  And if you question whether or not sinners are also His children read the parable of the prodigal son. (Luke 15: 11 – 32).

   When Jesus was asked which commandment of the law was the greatest He replied, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest  and the first commandment.  The second is like it.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 25: 37 – 39).  At the heart of all the commandments is love, love of God and love of neighbor.

   You can do all the good things possible but if they are not done with love they are of little value.  St. Paul said that no matter the good we may do, if we do not have love, we gain nothing.  (1 Cor 1 - 3).  When love we will come to know God and His will.