Don't Say You Will go Here or There...
Probably a strange thing connecting these passages but then again I write what I am told to write.
"Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” Mark 10:26-31 NASB
When looking over all these passages what comes to mind is the old hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness". As well as another, "Praise Him! Praise Him!".With blessings and God's plans coming to fruition in people's lives, both in those of the believers and the unbelieving, He indeed is to be praised for His faithfulness.
In no way will anyone ever see the review of their life and not see the fingerprints of God.
When we put our all on the altar of our lives for Self we are going to lose it.
When we put our all on the altar of our lives for Christ Jesus then is when we need to hang on. He is going to be doing exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that we can ask or think. Just as it says in Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB.
We also need to notice what Jesus said would accompany those blessings. Persecutions.
We are promised persecutions as we read in Mark 10.
We are promised tribulations John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”.
In Colossians 3:2-4 NASB "Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." we read of a command...not a suggestion. This goes and in hand with Romans 12:1-2 NASB "Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
We look at life differently than the world. At least we are supposed to.
We aren't to view life's challenges and circumstances the same as those who do not yet have salvation in Christ Jesus.
We aren't to be moping around in self-inflicted misery because we aren't getting from God what isn't His plan for us.
We have but One to live for in Christ Jesus. We ought to do as the Scriptures say, honor God in our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
This all works with this:
James 4:13-17 NASB "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.".
By faith in what we do or don't do in life we prove the Scriptures true. We prove the good and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2.
If we indeed believe that His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts than ours, as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, then we must rely on walking in faith, not trying to bend God's Will to ours, but rather our will to His.
If indeed every good and perfect thing comes from above in Christ Jesus then why on Earth are we wanting the things we think we want?
We struggle with life most often when it's our will not happening.
I know that I have. I know of my own dysfunctional walk with Jesus has been because of me, my wants, my desires, that have no need or business in the Will of God for me.
I have moped around because of not getting my way with Him.
Then there's that last verse in that which we read in James. Knowing what we ought to be doing and not doing it...we are sinning.
When we force our own way...we are sinning.
When we stubbornly stand and do not obey...we are sinning.
When we whine and complain...we are sinning.
When we intentionally are not going where He, by way of the Spirit, is leading, we are sinning.
When we know the good we ought to be doing and are not doing it we are sinning.
We cannot live in our will and God's too.
We who are in Christ need to be where He needs us to be, doing what it is He needs us doing. It may or may not be what we see or understand us doing. We may think we are obeying but in truth we are trying to appease God to not take THAT step through the door that He wants us to.
We are, as part of the body of Christ, to submit to the other parts of the body of Christ.
Find where it is you are to be serving and serve. There are no bench warmers in God's service.
The Bible's prophecies about humanity have not stopped. We always will see God's plan for mankind coming true if we but look for it. We who are in Christ should be seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness.
Do what He puts in front of you to be doing. Go where He is saying to go. This is what we see in the Disciples lives. They gave up their rights to do both when they agreed to follow Jesus.
Look at who's in the driver's seat in your life. If it's you...then you had better find the brakes.
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