Not on my terms!

Bible text: Acts 21:8-14 

When it was clear that we couldn't persuade him, we gave up and said, "The will of the Lord be done." (Acts 21:14, NLT)  

People who prepare to serve Jesus through their work in other nations, must prepare well. The stage in the preparation that is most significant and usually takes the longest time, is to decide to go. As believers, we do not make decisions alone. This is the way God has made it. Our lives are no longer ours. We belong to Jesus. This means that whatever decision we make in our lives should be aligned to God and his will. That is why we seek God’s direction in making decisions. 

Knowing God’s will is however not enough. We also need to act on what he is asking us to do. This is often a difficult part. 

Even for Jesus it must have been challenging to go to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, knowing what the outcome would be. Some years later, Paul was in a similar situation, and had to decide whether to go to Jerusalem or not. He received warnings of danger through the prophet Agabus. Paul saw this as the Holy Spirit’s preparation for what was ahead of him, and decided to follow what he was sure was God’s will (Acts 20:22-23). 

Jesus set the standard for obedience for Paul. His standard, as it is given in Luke 22:42, should be our standard as well. Our decision to follow God’s will for our lives should not hang on the outcomes but be an act of obedience to the one who loves us unconditionally. Choosing God’s will should never be on our terms but on God’s whether it leads to suffering or comfort. 

Pray

Dear father, you love me unconditionally. Help me to respond to your will in obedience and not on my terms. Amen!