The Believer's Two Wills!

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me...My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work...I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." --(John 6: 38; 4: 34; 5: 30) 

Here in this devotional, we'll be considering the "two wills" of man, and how each born again believer in Christ is to choose one of these wills. The choice he or she makes will determine the direction and life of that child of God. Every day we exercise our will in making choices in life that both affects us and others around us, especially in our relationship with God.

As observed in the  theme Scriptures verses above , Jesus came to do His Father's will (6: 38); His Food was His Father's will (4: 34); then finally, His judgment is just because it is according to His Father's will (5: 30). In everything that the Lord Jesus accomplished, it was in the Father's will. History bares out  the truth of three wills in the universe. They are as follows: The Devil's Defiant I Wills; Man's Deadly I Wills; and The Lord's Divine Will.

1. THE DEVIL'S DEFIANT "I WILLS."

In Isaiah 14: 12-15 we see the devil's five "I will" statements that resulted in his fall because "pride was found in his heart" (Ezek. 28: 15b). You can almost hear the defiance in the devil's "I will" statements. His "I will" statements are as follows: "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (Isa. 14: 13-14). The result was the devil and one third of the angels of heaven (who became demons) fell and were thrust out of heaven.The devil is now awaiting the day of God's judgment on him and his fallen angels. As you can see, Satan's "I wills" did not pay, but instead brought God's judgment on him.

2. MAN'S DEADLY "I WILLS."

In the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, man only knew of one will, God's will. For awhile the man and his wife delighted in living according to God's will, until sin came on the tranquil scene and interrupted man's life centered on God's will (see Gen. 1-3). It was when man fell through sin another will was born, man's will. A will that was in opposition to God's perfect will. A will that was no longer centered on God, but rather on man. A will that was wholly taken up with the interests of the self. So we hear people say today such things as: "Don't tell me what to do! I will do what I want!" "I will live my life the way I choose!" "Who are you to impose your will on my will!" Even sadder still is when we say to God "My will be done!" Instead of humbly submitting to God and saying "Your will be done!" Apart from God, man is bent on doing his own will. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3: 23). We read in the Gospel of Luke a parable the Lord Jesus told of a foolish man who was bent on doing his own will. It is interesting to note the foolish man's choice of words. He said "I" six times; and "I do" once; "I have" once, and "I will" four times (see Luke 12: 17-19). What was God's verdict on this man? "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12: 20-21). These are man’s deadly “I wills.” Since man is dead in trespasses and sins (see Eph. 2: 1) he cannot "will himself " to God's salvation. For a dead person cannot respond to anything period. How wonderful to read in verses 4-5, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)." This of course leads us into our third and final point. Now that a person has become a Christian, he or she has two conflicting wills; his or her will or God's will.

3. THE LORD'S DIVINE "WILL."

Since today's theme Scriptures show us that the Lord Jesus Christ's will was always to do His Father's will. This gives us the supreme example and blueprint that we are to have Christ's attitude "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work..." (John 4: 34). Prior to the believer's conversion, he or she was ruled by their own fallen will. Now that the Christian is redeemed, his or her life is to be ruled by another will--God's divine will for their life. The child of God should have no other will except for God's will. "Not what I will, but what You will" (Mark 14: 36). The saint's happiness and contentment is dependent on his following God's will for his life (see Psalm 91: 14-16). As God's children, let's be wise and choose to live according to the Lord's divine "Will" for our life.

Consider these "I will" statements from the three points above:

1. The Devil's Defiant "I wills!" (Isa. 14: 13-14).
2. Man's Deadly "I wills!" (Luke 12: 17-19).
3. The Lord's Divine "I wills!" (Psalm 91: 14-16).