September 20

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. — Rom 12:2 BSB

The will of God is described as “good, perfect, and acceptable.” But how can we personally and experientially prove that it is all this? Time and again, God's will contradicts our natural inclinations, going against our fleshly desires. God's will demands self-denial, but we want self-gratification. His will requires obedience, but our carnal nature is disobedient at its core. His will calls for sacrifices, but our weak flesh recoils from them. His will leads us down paths of suffering, sorrow, and tribulation, but our carnal minds shrink from such hardship, saying, “No, I cannot walk that path!”

As long as we conform to the world, we cannot even see the path God has set before us, for worldly conformity casts a veil over our eyes. Even if we do faintly perceive it, we lack the will or strength to walk in it, for our carnal minds rebel against any form of trial, self-denial, or the cross of Christ. But when, through the gracious workings of the Spirit, we are drawn away from worldly conformity, renewed in the spirit of our minds, and transformed into the likeness of the suffering Son of God, then the “good, perfect, and acceptable will of God” is commended to our conscience.

This good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is far beyond the grasp of the carnal eye, ear, or hand. Yet, it is revealed to the spiritual eye, heard by the spiritual ear, and laid hold of by the spiritual hand. To personally experience this, it is helpful to reflect on past moments where God's divine will proved to be good and acceptable to our renewed minds. We can look back and see how that supreme will has ruled over all things for our benefit, often in ways we did not fully understand at the time. Despite complications and difficulties in providence and grace, nothing has ultimately harmed us, for all things have worked together for our good according to God's promise.

However, we must remember this important truth: just as we cannot free ourselves from worldly conformity, neither can we renew ourselves in the spirit of our minds. Both must be the work of the Holy Spirit, who moves within us to will and to act according to His good pleasure. As we come to feel the misery of one state and the blessedness of the other, we will seek after these gracious workings and divine influences. As the Spirit continually draws us away from worldly conformity and transforms us into the image of the suffering Christ, we will increasingly see the beauty and blessedness of walking this path. By cleaving to Christ and His cross with our deepest affections, we will personally prove the goodness, acceptability, and perfection of God's will.