And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
– Romans 12:2
Not too long ago I drove 2 hours southeast to a Scottish festival. After the festival I put the name of my church in the GPS and took off towards what I thought was the direction of home. Well, my mind got distracted, and I’m sure I was thinking about all kinds of necessary, think-worthy things. I had driven 1 hour northward without realizing it, devotedly following the GPS. When I first started the trip back home, I had put the name of my church in the GPS, but the GPS assumed for some ridiculous reason I was wanting to drive to a church of the very same name in a different state to the north of me! It took me a lot longer getting back home because not only had I put the wrong location into the GPS, I devotedly, unquestioningly followed that GPS towards the wrong destination.
Yesterday we introduced the idea that we must prove WHAT is that will of God. Today we will look at what it means to PROVE what is that will of God. We need to set aside time to examine how we are living our lives. “Am I in the will of God?” There may be some of you reading this right now who may have gotten off the path of God’s will long, long ago. You had your sights on the wrong destination and have been traveling towards that direction for years. When I put in the wrong location into the GPS, it took the renewing of my mind to realize how far I had gotten off the right path. We MUST take some time out RIGHT NOW to examine the road we are on and PROVE whether or not we are on the right road – the will of God.
Notice the word, prove. I’m a mathematician. I have obtained some degrees in mathematics. One thing I have learned in my mathematics training is how to prove. As a freshman in a mathematics program, the way we learned was through a teacher explaining how things worked. In graduate school that no longer applied. Instead, they gave us these statements called theorems and expected US to prove them. In the process of proving these statements, we had grown accustomed to the smallest details of the theorem. We understood the theorems inside and out. We had so understood the theorems that we could recall by heart the theorems, state all the relevant conditions and information regarding the theorems, understand why the theorems work, and apply the theorems to solve problems. Was this process of proving fun? NO WAY! There were some theorems I had spent upwards of 20 hours in proving! These were hours in seclusion, at my desk, with no distractions. I would write down ideas, ponder them, jot them on the chalkboard, and stare at them for an hour or two. When we arrived at a completed proof, we confidently wrote, “QED,” which stands for a Latin phrase meaning, “that which was to be demonstrated has been demonstrated.”
A mathematical theorem is utterly worthless compared to the will of God! In reading Romans 1-11, you should come to the realization that GOD’S WILL IS HUGE AND IMPORTANT! That being said, what effort are you putting forth in proving what is that will of God? This is a very social society. Silence makes people nervous. We have to always be doing something! When is the last time you took a large portion of your day to get alone with God? We take vacations for other reasons. Why can’t we take a vacation where we get alone with God and examine whether or not we are still in His will? You may have been traveling the wrong direction for years and years. Spend time in God’s Word, the SPIRITUAL GPS, with the Holy Spirit as your guide! You must first obey what Paul has prefaced this chapter with. You must have a RENEWED MIND. You then must PROVE whether or not what you are doing is ACTUALLY in the will of God. This may take hours and hours of agonizing prayer. This may take fasting. This will take reading God’s Word and letting Him discern the thoughts and intents of your heart. Is this process of proving fun? I can tell you your flesh at least is not going to like it!
But what will be the fruit of this proving? When I had spent long days proving theorems and had finally arrived at the completed proof, I knew the theorem so well, nobody could make me doubt it. I was CONFIDENT in the proof. When you spend time proving what is the will of God, you will find CONFIDENCE in God’s will! You may indeed find out you are off, but YOU WILL NOW KNOW the right direction! You may find you are right on! Praise the Lord! Now YOU WILL LIVE CONFIDENTLY in the will of God. You can now write “QED” on this test of the will of God. That which was to be demonstrated has been demonstrated.
On your tombstone, do you think one could write “QED?” Were you able to demonstrate the will of God in your life? HIS WILL IS WORTH IT!
Why?
It is GOOD, ACCEPTABLE, and PERFECT!