1. Some are willing to serve evil. This was true of one of our Lord's apostles. "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him" (Matt. 26:14-16). I don't think Judas started out to betray his Master, but evil grows in the heart. Judas had been a thief before this for some time (John 12:6). Let us guard our hearts carefully.

2. Christians must be willing to follow the spirit and not the flesh. "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). There is a conflict or battle in each of us. "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Gal. 5:16-17). It is not always easy to do right, but it is very important that we do.

3. Christians must be willing to share. "Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share" (1 Tim. 6:18). This verse is written to the rich in this age (v. 17). I think all of us qualify, don't you? We cannot be selfish. To be selfish is to be covetous. A covetous person will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10).

4. We must have a heart willing to yield to God. "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). We must yield, give up self and yield to the wisdom of God as we learn it from our Bibles. This yielding to God must be from the heart and not hypocrisy.

5. God is not willing that any perish. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Does this verse say all will be saved? No, but that God wants all people to come to Him and serve Him. We must live holy lives and godly lives (v. 11).

- Good News, 3/4/2001