His Will!

Matthew 19:16-30

Now I have no idea the intentions of the man that asked Jesus about how to obtain eternal life, but the first thing I thought about is that we are always trying to find the easy answer. How many times have I said just tell me what to do and I will do it. I think about how many times I have prayed and said just show me, just tell me, just let me know in some way what you want me to do. I can’t even recall anything that God showed me immediately and I know he has, but I can only remember the things that were not revealed immediately---the things that took time and many times those things were only revealed to me through trial. It was only through those times that my faith deepened and I grew spiritually. Until recently I never really understand what James meant when he said count it joy to receive great trials (James 1:2)---well I thought I knew, but I didn’t really and I am sure years from now I will say this same thing again.

Interestingly enough, Jesus’ first reply is goodness will not give you eternal life because there is only One who is truly good. In my words, because we are not innately good we have to find a way past our bad (our flesh), Jesus is our way past ourselves. Am I making sense? To be perfectly honest it is much easier to be bad, now I don’t mean bad like murdering someone, but I mean when someone does something that you don’t agree with or does something to you what are your first thoughts? To pray for them, to count it all joy, to love them? No, the first thought is to say something back and/or make a plan to get them back. What about when something goes wrong, something breaks down, a plan falls apart, or sickness comes upon us? Do we get excited because we know that God is using these things to deepen our faith? The only way we can get past these things is by allowing Jesus to control us---we must truly die to ourselves in order to live, we must see a greater picture that is not visible to the human eye, only through our spiritual vision can we truly see.

As Jesus moves through the list of commandments the man says oh yeah, I obey all those laws, now what else is there? Wait a minute---you want me to do what? Give up all this and give it away? The Bible says the man then leaves sad because he had great wealth. I think we are at the point now that we just have to give up, no matter our economic status---we have to give up what we think we have to have. We have to give up the life we think we should be living for the life that God has for us. Does this mean no possessions? I don’t think in every case, I personally think God just wants to know that we are truly willing to give up everything to serve him. What does he want you to give up? Well that is between you and God, seek him and I promise he will let you know. I think about how Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son because he loved God that much, but God never allowed it to happen because he saw that Abraham’s heart was true and faithful. Does he see the same kind of faith in my heart? In yours?

When I read the last scripture I think of servant hood. We have to serve God first and then others. This may seems backwards to how the world views things, but this is God’s way, the right way, the way it was intended to be before evil came into this world. As a servant we may be viewed as last, but in God’s eyes we are being faithful, we are giving up the things of this world, our wants, our desires---and when we give up those things God will fill those vacancies with greater things. You see God has a plan for all of us, a plan far greater than anything we could ever imagine, but it is our choice to choose his plan for our life or to go with what we think is best.

I am truly amazed at where God has brought me from and I am ecstatic about where he is taking me. I have made up my mind up that God’s will is greater than anything else in my life. If I loose everything I have, if I am never able to write another word, if I loose those I love, or if I loose my own life it will be alright because God is in control, he knows what he is doing and his will will be done. Who am I to even question the one that not only created me, but created this world, his knowledge is far greater and his love is far deeper.