Not my will but Yours

As I sit here and listen to the ticking of the clock and wait for the phone to ring, I was compelled to write some thoughts on the page by an old friend of mine. So here they are.

There have been many times in my life that I have come to what seems like a decision that has no clear answer; all directions seem plausible yet I know there is only one way that would be most pleasing to God. How do you choose and how do you know you are mot making the wrong choice amidst all the options? Right now I am in a few of those on various fronts, so will I make the right decision? When there is no verse that tells us which way to go then what do we do?

Here is my process.
I try very hard to take my own will out of it. This is difficult as we are sinful/selfish creatures and we want our own way first. We must endeavor to take this out of the equation and I believe the best way to do this is to be like Christ when He said, "Not my will but thine". I have had to force myself to believe that whatever I am looking to do may be completely lost and force myself to think about my life w/o whatever it is. A REAL reality check.

Once this is done I then try to look at where I am with or w/o the particular item and force myself to look through the lens of who I am in Christ. Will I be better off with this or w/o it? More often than not it makes not real difference in light of eternity; which is the only thing that is important.

The decision gets easier when this is played out even further. If we know that God is sovereign and He gives what is best for us in every situation then what do we have to fear? If we have worked as unto the Lord to achieve whatever we are after then God can either give or take these things away and the choice is His. This is really freeing. He can close whatever doors He knows are best and open the ones He knows we should go through.

We are left again saying, "Not my will but Yours Father". To fight for "our rights" is foolish. Work hard, study hard, pray hard and leave the choice up to God. He will give and take away but never will He forsake us or withhold any good thing. If we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then He will add all the things we need. What more can we ask than to have all we need?

Hopefully this is both helpful and encouraging.