Cultivating Desire to Follow God's Will Above All Else Biblically

The Scriptures present the cultivation of desire for God's will not as a static achievement but as a dynamic pursuit rooted in divine command and enabled by divine grace. Paul instructs believers to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God" ^[1], establishing that the Christian life involves both intentional striving and progressive transformation. This dual emphasis—human responsibility and divine enablement—runs throughout biblical teaching on conforming one's desires to God's purposes.

The Biblical Foundation of Desire for God's Will

Scripture commands love for God as the first and greatest commandment, requiring devotion "with all the heart" ^[3]. This is not merely emotional affection but comprehensive allegiance that produces obedience: "Love to God" is "perfected in obedience" and naturally results in "hatred of sin" ^[3]. The biblical pattern links desire to action, as seen in the exhortation to "earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts" ^[2], where the verb forms indicate sustained, active pursuit rather than passive waiting.

The call to decision appears throughout redemptive history. Moses set before Israel the choice to love God and keep His commandments ^[5], while Joshua challenged the people to choose whom they would serve. This decisiveness is "necessary to the service of God" and stands "opposed to a divided service" and "halting between two opinions" ^[5]. The biblical writers consistently reject half-hearted commitment, insisting that following God requires wholehearted devotion that excludes competing loyalties.

The Role of Divine Grace in Shaping Desire

Aquinas addresses a fundamental tension: whether human beings can love God above all things by natural power alone. He concludes that "to love God above all things is natural to man," yet in humanity's fallen state, this natural capacity requires grace for its actualization ^[9]. The will itself must be made righteous by God, who "both makes the will of man righteous, and thus prepares it for assistance, and assists it when it is prepared" ^[16]. This theological framework preserves both human agency and divine sovereignty—the believer genuinely chooses, yet that choice itself flows from God's prior work.

Calvin articulates this with characteristic force: "As the surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves, so the only haven of safety is to have no other will, no other wisdom, than to follow the Lord wherever he leads" ^[8]. one tradition insists that believers must withdraw "the dominion and government" of themselves from their own reason and "give them to God" ^[8]. This self-renunciation is not the annihilation of the will but its proper ordering—the creature's will aligned with the Creator's.

The Apostle Paul's prayer that believers might "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord" ^[1] assumes that such walking requires both divine empowerment and human cooperation. Calvin notes that God "supplies the persevering effort until the effect is obtained," citing Paul's teaching that "it is the same God which worketh all in all" ^[17]. The entire "course of the spiritual life" falls under this comprehensive divine working ^[17].

Practical Cultivation Through Spiritual Disciplines

The biblical texts connect desire for God's will with concrete practices. Diligence is "required by God in seeking him" and "obeying him" ^[7], encompassing "cultivating Christian graces," "keeping the heart," and "self-examination" ^[7]. These are not mechanical exercises but means through which the Holy Spirit shapes affections and strengthens resolve. The fruit of the Spirit includes love ^[3], indicating that transformed desire emerges from the Spirit's ongoing work in the believer's life.

Prayer functions as both expression and cultivation of desire for God's will. Afflictions serve to lead believers "to seek God in prayer" and to turn them back to God when they have wandered ^[6]. The discipline of seeking God "with the heart" ^[5] implies sustained attention and intentional focus, not sporadic religious sentiment. The biblical pattern shows believers learning God's will through Scripture, prayer, and the testing that comes through trials, which teach "the will of God" ^[6].

Augustine describes the pursuit of God as "the desire of happiness" and reaching God as "happiness itself" ^[10]. This framework reorients human longing: the deepest human desires find their true object in God rather than in created things. "Following after God is the desire of happiness; to reach God is happiness itself. We follow after God by loving Him" ^[10]. This patristic perspective grounds the cultivation of desire in the recognition that God alone satisfies the human heart.

The Interplay of Love for God and Obedience

The biblical writers consistently link love for God with keeping His commandments. "Love to God" should produce "obedience to God" ^[3], and conversely, "our love to God (tested by our 'keeping his commandments') is... the ground and only true basis of love to our brother" ^[13]. This is not legalism but the natural outworking of transformed affections. When the heart genuinely loves God, obedience flows not from external compulsion but from internal delight.

The distinction between God's decretive will and His revealed will matters for understanding obedience. Calvin notes that while God's sovereign purposes cannot be thwarted, believers are called to voluntary obedience to His revealed commands ^[15]. The prayer "Thy will be done" asks that humans would align themselves with God's purposes as the angels do, who "do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" ^[15]. This voluntary conformity to God's revealed will constitutes the proper human response to divine sovereignty.

Augustine observes that "sometimes a man in the goodness of his will desires something that God does not desire," illustrating that human goodness does not automatically align with divine purposes ^[12]. The cultivation of desire for God's will therefore requires not merely moral improvement but spiritual transformation that brings human willing into harmony with divine willing. This transformation occurs as believers are "inwardly illuminated and occupied by His truth and holiness" ^[10].

The Eschatological Dimension

The biblical vision of cultivated desire extends beyond present experience to ultimate consummation. Believers are exhorted to "continue in the faith" with the recognition "that through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdom of God" ^[4]. This eschatological orientation sustains desire for God's will amid present difficulties, anchoring hope in future fulfillment. The Christian life involves "striving after perfection" ^[7], a progressive movement toward complete conformity to God's will that will be realized fully only in the age to come.

The biblical texts present this cultivation not as human achievement but as participation in divine work. God's love for His creatures, though not varying in intensity, varies in the good He wills for each ^[11], and His will "imposes necessity on some things willed but not on all" ^[14]. Within this framework of divine sovereignty, believers exercise genuine agency in pursuing God's will, knowing that their very desire to do so originates in God's prior grace and is sustained by His continuing work in them.

Sources

Colossians “Colossians 1:10 (BSB) — so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”
I Corinthians “I Corinthians 14:1 (BSB) — Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to God — Commanded -- De 11:1; Jos 22:5. The first great commandment -- Mt 22:38. With all the heart -- De 6:5; Mt 22:37. Better than all sacrifices -- Mr 12:33. Produced by The Holy Spirit. -- Ga 5:22; 2Th 3:5. The love of God to us. -- 1Jo 4:19. Answers to prayer. -- Ps 116:1. Exhibited by Christ -- Joh 14:31. A characteristic of saints -- Ps 5:11. Should produce Joy. -- Ps 5:11. Love to saints. -- 1Jo 5:1. Hatred of sin. -- Ps 97:10. Obedience to God. -- De 30:20; 1Jo 5:3. Perfected in obedience -- 1Jo 2:5. Perfected, gives boldness -- 1Jo 4:17,18. God, faith”
Acts “confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into the Kingdom of God. -- Acts 14:22”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Decision — Necessary to the service of God -- Lu 9:62. Exhortations to -- Jos 24:14,15. Exhibited in Seeking God with the heart. -- 2Ch 15:12. Keeping the commandments of God. -- Ne 10:29. Being on the Lord's side. -- Ex 32:26. Following God fully. -- Nu 14:24; 32:12; Jos 14:8. Serving God. -- Isa 56:6. Loving God perfectly. -- De 6:5. Blessedness of. -- Jos 1:7. Opposed to A divided service. -- Mt 6:24. Double-mindedness. -- Jas 1:8. Halting between two opinions. -- 1Ki 18:21. Turning to the right or left. -- De 5:32. Not setting the heart aright. -- Ps 78:8,37. Exe”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Afflictions Made Beneficial — In promoting the glory of God -- Joh 9:1-3; 11:3,4; 21:18,19. In exhibiting the power and faithfulness of God -- Ps 34:19,20; 2Co 4:8-11. In teaching us the will of God -- Ps 119:71; Isa 26:9; Mic 6:9. In turning us to God -- De 4:30,31; Ne 1:8,9; Ps 78:34; Isa 10:20,21; Ho 2:6,7. In keeping us from again departing from God -- Job 34:31,32; Isa 10:20; Eze 14:10,11. In leading us to seek God in prayer -- Jdj 4:3; Jer 31:18; La 2:17-19; Ho 5:14,15; Jon 2:1. In convincing us of sin -- Job 36:8,9; Ps 119:67; Lu 15:16-18. In leading us to con”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Diligence — Christ, an example -- Mr 1:35; Lu 2:49. Required by God in Seeking him. -- 1Ch 22:19; Heb 11:6. Obeying him. -- De 6:17; 11:13. Hearkening to him. -- Isa 55:2. Striving after perfection. -- Php 3:13,14. Cultivating Christian graces. -- 2Pe 1:5. Keeping the souls. -- De 4:9. Keeping the heart. -- Pr 4:23. Labours of love. -- Heb 6:10-12. Following every good work. -- 1Ti 5:10. Guarding against defilement. -- Heb 12:15. Seeking to be found spotless. -- 2Pe 3:14. Making our call, &c, sure. -- 2Pe 1:10. Self-examination. -- Ps 77:6. Lawful business. -- Pr 27:”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 62: therefore, let his wisdom and will preside over all our actions. We are God’s; to him, then, as the only legitimate end, let every part of our life be directed. O how great the proficiency of him who, taught that he is not his own, has withdrawn the dominion and government of himself from his own reason that he may give them to God! For as the surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves, so the only haven of safety is to have no other will, no other wisdom, than to follow the Lord wherever he leads. Let this, then be ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), Of the Necessity of Grace, Art. 3: Article: Whether by his own natural powers and without grace man can love God above all things? I answer that, As was said above (FP, Question [60], Article [5]), where the various opinions concerning the natural love of the angels were set forth, man in a state of perfect nature, could by his natural power, do the good natural to him without the addition of any gratuitous gift, though not without the help of God moving him. Now to love God above all things is natural to man and to eve”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 4: Augustine — Anti-Manichaean, Anti-Donatist — CHAP. II.--GOD IS THE ONE OBJECT OF LOVE; THEREFORE HE IS MAN'S CHIEF GOOD. NOTHING IS BETTER THAN GOD. GOD CANNOT BE LOST AGAINST OUR WILL. (part 1): 18. Following after God is the desire of happiness; to reach God is happiness itself. We follow after God by loving Him; we reach Him, not by becoming entirely what He is, but in nearness to Him, and in wonderful and immaterial contact with Him, and in being inwardly illuminated and occupied by His truth and holiness. He is light itself; we get enlightenment from Him. The greatest command”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), God's Love, Art. 3: Article: Whether God loves all things equally? I answer that, Since to love a thing is to will it good, in a twofold way anything may be loved more, or less. In one way on the part of the act of the will itself, which is more or less intense. In this way God does not love some things more than others, because He loves all things by an act of the will that is one, simple, and always the same. In another way on the part of the good itself that a person wills for the beloved. In this way we are said to love that one more tha”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 101.--THE WILL OF GOD, WHICH IS ALWAYS GOOD, IS SOMETIMES FULFILLED THROUGH THE EVIL WILL OF MAN.: Sometimes, however, a man in the goodness of his will desires something that God does not desire, even though God's will is also good, nay, much more fully and more surely good (for His will never can be evil): for example, if a good son is anxious that his father should live, when it is God's good will that he should die. Again, it is possible for a man with evil will to desire what God wills in His goodness: for example, if a bad son wishes h”
1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 5:2: By--Greek, "In." As our love to the brethren is the sign and test of our love to God, so (John here says) our love to God (tested by our "keeping his commandments") is, conversely, the ground and only true basis of love to our brother. we know--John means here, not the outward criteria of genuine brotherly love, but the inward spiritual criteria of it, consciousness of love to God manifested in a hearty keeping of His commandments. When we have this inwardly and outwardly confirmed love to God, we can know assuredly that we truly love the children of ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Will of God, Art. 8: Article: Whether the will of God imposes necessity on the things willed? I answer that, The divine will imposes necessity on some things willed but not on all. The reason of this some have chosen to assign to intermediate causes, holding that what God produces by necessary causes is necessary; and what He produces by contingent causes contingent. This does not seem to be a sufficient explanation, for two reasons. First, because the effect of a first cause is contingent on account of the secondary cause, from the fact ”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: For although devils and men rise in tumult against him, he is able by his incomprehensible counsel not only to turn aside their violence, but make it subservient to the execution of his decrees. What we here speak of is another will of God, namely, that of which voluntary obedience is the counterpart; and, therefore, heaven is expressly contrasted with earth, because, as is said in The Psalms, the angels “do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word,” ( Ps. 103:20 ). We are, therefore, enjoined to pray that as everyth”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 32.--THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL IS ALSO THE GIFT OF GOD, FOR GOD WORKETH IN US BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO. (part 2): that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy," is that the whole work belongs to God, who both makes the will of man righteous, and thus prepares it for assistance, and assists it when it is prepared. For the man's righteousness of will precedes many of God's gifts, but not all; and it must itself be included among those which it does not precede. We read in Holy Scripture, both that God's mercy "shall meet me,"(7) and that His mercy ”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 39: good will is still weighed down by the burden of the flesh, and prevented from rising, it is added, that, to meet the difficulties of the contest, God supplies the persevering effort until the effect is obtained. Indeed, the Apostle could not otherwise have said, as he elsewhere does, that “it is the same God which worketh all in all,” ( 1 Cor. 12:6 ); words comprehending, as we have already observed (sec. 6), the whole course of the spiritual life. For which reason, David, after praying, “Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in t”

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