The best way to look at it is this way: doing God’s will is not just an obligation, it is a privilege.
Doing God’s will is an obligation
Yes, doing God’s will is an obligation. Jesus warns us that if we do not do the will of God, we will not enter heaven: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Doing the will of God is an important part of being a Christian. If you are not willing to do the will of God, you are not born again. You need to repent and believe in Jesus and obey Him.
Doing God’s will is a privilege
Once you are born again, however, doing the will of God does not feel as an obligation. It is a privilege! For everything that God wills is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). When you do what is good and acceptable and perfect, you will be happy! You don’t want to do anything else anymore. Doing the will of God brings you joy.
Doing God’s will brings you joy
Why is that? Because God designed us. When you do the will of your Designer, you function as you should. That brings you happiness. That is true in two different ways. First of all, you find God’s will in the ten commandments. Breaking the commandments makes you miserable. If you honor other gods, you give satan space in your life. If you do not honor your parents, you will not have a good relationship with them and you will be missing a home. If you steal, you will feel guilty and be afraid that you will be caught. But if you keep the commandments, you will have a stable and happy life.
Second, there is God’s will specific to your personal life. If God calls you to serve Him, and instead you try to earn as much money as you can, you might become rich, but you will not be happy. If God calls you to help people in need, and instead you go play video games, you will miss out on the happiness that comes in obeying Him. It can be hard to obey God’s will. Even for Jesus it was hard. When He was close to being captured and crucified, He got afraid and prayed: “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). But even then happiness resulted in submitting to God’s will. For Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). So be assured that in the long run, doing the will of God is always the best choice.
Doing God’s will is also best for other people
When you do the will of God, it is also best for other people. For it is not God’s will that anyone perishes, but that everyone will get to know Him (Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9). So, when you share the Gospel with others, you always know that you are doing God’s will and that you are offering people eternal life.
In summary
In summary: you should do God’s will because only people who do God’s will, will enter heaven. You should do God’s will because doing it will bring you happiness. You should do God’s will because it is good for others. Let me end with one more Bible verse that offers a great motivation to do God’s will: “The world passes away with its desires, but who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).