“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter unto the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7: 21 – KJV).
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test (2 Corinthians 13:5 - NIV).
The petition in the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to long and ask that earth may become like heaven, and that His will may be done here even as there… The only way to be fit to enter heaven must be, to do the will of God here on earth. Every thought of heaven that does not lead us to do the will of God is a vain imagination.
There are multitudes of Christians who have never seen this. They think that the way to heaven is found in pious desires and religious duties, in trusting Christ for mercy, and seeking to be kept from gross sin. But the thought that Christ puts here, that only those who love to do the will of God can enter heaven — has never taken possession of their mind or heart.
And yet our Lord makes the difference between the religion of prayer and profession, and the religion of obedience and performance, as plain as words can make it. Not everyone that says to Me, Lord, Lord — that prays to Me and professes to acknowledge and honor Me as Savior; but he that does the will of My Father in heaven — he alone will enter the kingdom of heaven.
It is the Father’s presence and the Father’s will in heaven that makes heaven what it is: doing the Father’s will on earth is the only conceivable way of entering heaven; nothing else can give the capacity for enjoying it.
There must always be harmony between a life and its environment. To enter the heaven of God’s will, without a nature that loves and does God’s will, is an impossibility…
All salvation on earth or in heaven is — doing the will of God. If we find that this blessed truth has never shone with its full heavenly light into our souls, let us at once turn to our Lord Jesus and ask Him to teach us. Let us give ourselves up to it, to study, to believe, to practice, to rejoice in it.
Let us each day choose the will of God, His whole will, and nothing but His will, to have rule over us and dwell within us. The living Father whose love can make it our blessedness, through the living Christ, who loves to teach it to us and work it in us, will enable us to do His will.
~ Andrew Murray ~ Thy Will Be Done
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