It was one of the biggest mysteries of my life, and I am sure you have asked the question too.  What is God’s will?  What does He desire for me to do?  What is His goal for me?

And I must admit, now that I know the answer, I feel more than a little cheated that no one ever told me.  Sure, people told me on a regular basis to seek for God’s will.  I often prayed to know God’s will.  Yet, I made it nineteen years without being told that God’s will is not an esoteric secret for us to discover; it is clearly stated in Scripture.

I grew up hearing sermons based out of Ephesians 5:17 – “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  This is a great command from the Apostle Paul (and he seems to be a pretty smart guy) that each of us should obey.  The problem is that no one ever took the time to show me a second use of “will” in another of Paul’s epistles.

I Thessalonians 4:3a – “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification…”

There it was the whole time, clearly stated in Paul’s letter to the church of Thessalonica (see? I told you Paul was smart).  All I had to do was look a the cross-reference!  God’s will is my sanctification.  God’s will is that I would be conformed to the image of His Son.  That’s all there is to it!

Our question should not be, “What is God’s will?”  Our question should be, “How does God want to make me like His Son?”

Our goal should not be discovering God’s perfect plan.  Our goal should be becoming like Christ.

I am no longer seeking God’s will; I am seeking sanctification.