Do God's Will Not Just Good Things - II Samuel 6-8 and Luke 15:1-10

One of Satan's major strategies against believers is to get us to do good things so as to distract us from really doing God's will. It is an effective strategy unless we are careful to seek to know God's will first and to make it our priority. David had his heart in the right place. When he became king, one of his first acts was to have the Ark brought to Jerusalem. The problem was that David did not do it according to God's will. He put it on a cart, instead of having it carried by the poles. In the process Uzzah died when he touched the Ark. David learned his lesson painfully, and then, he brought up the Ark correctly. The same was true when David decided on his own to build a Temple for God. He did not seek God's will first. He was simply thinking up a good thing to do for God. He had the right intentions and motivation, but he was missing God's will. Therefore, Nathan, the prophet, had to help him see that his son would do that, not David. Each time in David's life that he forgot this principle, he fell into sin. The same is true for us, even when we are doing good things.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 15 which emphasizes reaching the people who are lost and far from God. That is God's will. If we do every other good thing, but we neglect to reach the lost, we have missed God's will. We must set God's priorities as our priorities. We do not get to choose what we do. We are to seek out God's will, and then, do it. The good thing is that His will is much more rewarding than doing the good things we make up. Perhaps, if your life is not going well, this is your problem. Look at all of the things you are doing for God. Ask Him to show you if they are His will or just good things. Then, ask Him to show you His will, and do that instead.

Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 9-11 and Luke 15:11-32.