As I mentioned in my last post, Christians are constantly seeking after the will of God, so anytime the Bible plainly states what his desire is for our lives we need to perk up and pay attention.  I believe we all have a specific calling–God’s will for our individual lives–but in trying to understand our special purpose we shouldn’t ignore the things he has called every believer to.

With that said, I did a little more digging to see what else the Scriptures had to say about God’s will for the life of every believer.  Here are five Bible verses that explicitly state the will of God:

1. 

This is the verse that inspired my last post.  We’re called to always be joyful, always keep praying, and always be thankful, no matter what is happening in our lives.  It is God’s will that we should always do these things, but how many of us really do?

2. 

This verse from Hebrews is a great reminder that our holiness flows from Christ, not from ourselves.  His single sacrifice was potent enough to cover all of our sins–past, present, and future!

3. 

In context, Peter is calling believers to live honorable lives in the face of persecution, no matter who holds political office (a timeless lesson, one I hope we’ve learned in the wake of the most recent election).  Our honorable actions can quiet, or at least discredit, the talk of our most ignorant critics, and it is God’s will that this would be the case.

4. 

In this passage Peter addresses slaves, telling them they don’t get any credit if they are beaten by their masters for doing wrong.  But if they are beaten despite their good works they are being Christ-like, because he suffered though he was only good all the time.  It is God’s will that we do good, even if it means we suffer for it.

5. 

Okay, I know there are a lot of 1 Peter references in this post, but I just pulled on the thread, I didn’t knit the sweater.  This is a beautiful reiteration of what Jesus said in telling us to love our enemies.  When people insult you, don’t seek revenge.  In fact, do the opposite.  Don’t exchange evil for evil, but exchange blessing for cursing.  How would your home, your church, and your community be transformed if you truly lived this aspect of the will of God?