GO FOR THE GOLD: Fulfilling God’s Will Maximally

I once witnessed a court session during which two accused persons were sentenced to death. After the judge read the judgment and left for her chambers, it could have seemed this was probably what the defendants duly deserved. Sadly, the comments passed later by the co-lawyers suggested that the lives of those men would have been “saved” if the lawyer had done a thorough job, without loopholes.

That is food for thought! One cannot afford to be mediocre; the consequences are grave! If mishandling earthly matters could be that costly, how much more the issues of eternity? How much more the things pertaining to doing the will of the Almighty God?

Let us look at the story of King Saul in the Bible. His appointment as king over Israel was God-ordained. Perhaps, Saul might never have imagined himself with a crown on his head as king over those multitudes, but it happened!

After some time during the reign of Saul as king, God gave him an instruction. Saul was to attack a nation called Amalek due to what they had done to Israel earlier (1 Samuel 15:3). He was to “utterly destroy” EVERYTHING – men, women, animals – everything! 

Saul set out to carry out the command and thereafter felt he had done all that God told him to do. He was eager to give the Prophet (Samuel) the report of this feat. 

1 Samuel 15:13 (NKJV, emphasis added)

Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have PERFORMED the commandment of the LORD.”

Saul boldly asserted that he had performed the commandment of the Lord! Wow! He must have been so proud of that! However, there was a missing gap, and Samuel rightly pointed it out. Yet, Saul probably did not get the point. 

His responses to Samuel seemed he might have been thinking, “I have of course done what God asked me to do. I utterly destroyed Amalek except for their king, and the best of their animals for sacrifice to God. I expect you to be praising me that I have done well.” (1 Samuel 15:1, 20 – 21)

Nonetheless, Samuel expressly revealed that Saul had instead disobeyed God though he did a part of the command given. That calls for some deep reflections! It is not enough to do a part of God’s will; one must go for the gold – do the will of God maximally, leaving no stone unturned!

Interestingly, in the Bible, we have another Saul who fulfilled God’s will maximally. This other Saul is popularly referred to as Paul. On a lighter note, we could as well title this piece: A Tale of Two Sauls. But then, let us take a cue from the second Saul (Apostle Paul).

2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 

That was a statement boldly made by a man who had done his work well. In the instance of King Saul cited earlier, he had not fulfilled every bit of what God required him to do, before he came to a halt. However, the other Saul (Apostle Paul) ensured he did a thorough job, to accomplish every part of what God wanted him to do, despite all odds.

Acts 20:24 (NKJV)

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

For us as well, God has different instructions and assignments for each of us, according to His purpose for us. It behoves us to strive that we do everything excellently, without falling short in any area, so we could walk in the fullness of God’s beautiful plans for our lives.

Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24, wrote to believers that though everyone could run in a race, one person receives the prize. Hence, we should run in such a way that we would obtain it. We need to desire that we experience God’s very best, and not settle for less.

Dear believers, let us go for the gold – let us seek to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God, without any loose ends (Colossians 4:12). We do not just want to do a part of the will of God concerning our lives, we want to do everything God would have us do.

It’s possible there are some parts of God’s will for our lives that we are not yet giving due diligence and attention. This is a call for us to deliberately seek God to help us maximally fulfill His will, desires and instructions. Let us be always conscious of this, and keep trusting Him every day that we would not be found wanting in any area. It’s about going for the gold, and getting the very best!

Author: Fehintoluwa Ogunbowale