John 7:17

John 7:17 says, If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or I speak of. myself.  Jesus said that if anyone would do His will, he would know if the doctrine was of God, or whether He spoke of Himself.  Speaking to the Jews, Jesus said if they knew God's will, they would know the doctrine of Christ, of the Messiah, and whether He only spoke of Himself.  The only way we can know the truth of whether what someone is proclaiming as the word of God is or nio is if we do the will of God.  Verse eighteen adds, He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.  Jesus said if someone is calling attention to himself, and not to God, he is seeking his own glory.  The message some people proclaim today is all centered around what God has done for them, how He has blessed them, and how they have been rewarded materially.  We need to point people to Christ through the power of God's will.  Again, if we are to be His followers, we must look to His example, and that leads us to daily take up or cross.  Jesus never said He would make us rich in this world, but that we were to lay up our treasures in heaven.  If we follow Him, we must live by faith in Him and not by faith in things of the world. When we hear someone say that God wants us to be happy, so He is going to materially bless us, point them to the example of Christ.  Material things will never satisfy.  We must learn to be content in Christ, no matter our material status in the world.