This is the Will of God...

... your sanctification.

This quote from 1 Thessalonians 4:3 answers a question that is often asked by Christians today: What is God's will for my life?

Sadly, the answer may not bring the glad tidings we may want while living in the world. We want happiness, but God wants holiness. We want happiness, which is temporal, but God wants our joy, which is infinitely greater and everlasting. We want comfort, but God sanctifies through suffering, which builds perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:1-11). We want comfort, but God wants us to be content - in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We want peace, but Jesus said in this world you will have trouble. We want peace, but there is war going on - a battle that is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

So when Christians ask, "What is God's will for my life?" do they want this news? By the grace of God alone, we will indeed desire sanctification, for we know that "if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory... Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:17-18).