"But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission..." (Acts 20:24, CEB).
"For David, after serving his own generation in God's plan, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed" (Acts 13:36, HCSB).
"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand," (cf. Prov. 19:21).
We all have had come to forks in the road and wondered which way to go. In fact, if we don't care where we end up, it doesn't matter which road we take, we'll end up somewhere for sure! But God's will doesn't work like that: either we are in or out of it and the safest place to be is right there in the middle of God's plan for our lives. Jesus knew this too and from the time of His youth He sensed His divine calling to be about His Father's business and superimposed that will on His, as His motto of life became "Thy will be done!" He taught us as disciples to pray likewise and to follow in His steps. The temptation comes to do things our way, and that is the epitome of sin--doing our own thing, that we stop trusting God and try to save ourselves by our own efforts. But we must trust and rely solely on Jesus for salvation and not on the energy of the flesh or our own willpower.
Jesus faced a dilemma in His life when He was faced with the temptation to do things His way or the Father's way--in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, in total relinquishment, He prayed, "Nevertheless, not as I will but thy will be done." He could've decided to avoid the draft of the Father to be our Savior and just saved Himself and He'd still be God, but we would be lost sinners. It's good He chose to die on our behalf instead of avoiding the Via Dolorosa and its crucible. But we are to follow in His steps and to take up our cross and die to self too. We are to live for God's will not ourselves.
We should always be assured that God knows best and also that God didn't answer some of our prayers. He knows how to run our lives better than anyone of us and we ought to give Him full ownership. We can be assured that Jesus knew the trials of facing these kinds of dilemmas and that the only way we can avoid regrets is to trust God with all our hearts and not lean unto our own understanding (per Prov. 3:5-6). We have no better idea than God and His plan for us is that which is perfect and good for us. We are to fulfill God's purpose for us and realize His will in all our ways.
The life lived for self is filled with regret, insecurity, and worry because there's no place for trusting God. "He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee" (cf. Isaiah 26:3). God wants our faith to be tested in the crucible of fire to make sure it's genuine, saving faith and faith isn't worth much if it's easy! God cannot force faith either and have it worth anything because that isn't real faith, but coercion or determinism.
For this reason, God makes faith a gift of grace and elects us to believe by grace; it's not because of merit or wisdom we have it but we believe through grace (cf. Acts 18:27). Even if salvation were by wisdom or intelligence, God is the One who makes one wise or intelligent--you cannot escape grace. "Grace reigns through righteousness" (cf. Romans 5:21). It has been granted unto us to believe; i.e., it's a privilege! (cf. Phil. 1:29). It's the work of God (cf. John 6:29). God works in us both to do and to will of His good pleasure (cf. Phil. 2:13).
But we can rest assured that Jesus went through every type of trial for us and we don't experience anything unique that He cannot relate to us with as a human (cf. Heb. 2:18). "[B]ecause we don't have a high priest who can't sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin (Heb. 4:15, CEB). Soli Deo Gloria!
We all have had come to forks in the road and wondered which way to go. In fact, if we don't care where we end up, it doesn't matter which road we take, we'll end up somewhere for sure! But God's will doesn't work like that: either we are in or out of it and the safest place to be is right there in the middle of God's plan for our lives. Jesus knew this too and from the time of His youth He sensed His divine calling to be about His Father's business and superimposed that will on His, as His motto of life became "Thy will be done!" He taught us as disciples to pray likewise and to follow in His steps. The temptation comes to do things our way, and that is the epitome of sin--doing our own thing, that we stop trusting God and try to save ourselves by our own efforts. But we must trust and rely solely on Jesus for salvation and not on the energy of the flesh or our own willpower.
Jesus faced a dilemma in His life when He was faced with the temptation to do things His way or the Father's way--in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, in total relinquishment, He prayed, "Nevertheless, not as I will but thy will be done." He could've decided to avoid the draft of the Father to be our Savior and just saved Himself and He'd still be God, but we would be lost sinners. It's good He chose to die on our behalf instead of avoiding the Via Dolorosa and its crucible. But we are to follow in His steps and to take up our cross and die to self too. We are to live for God's will not ourselves.
We should always be assured that God knows best and also that God didn't answer some of our prayers. He knows how to run our lives better than anyone of us and we ought to give Him full ownership. We can be assured that Jesus knew the trials of facing these kinds of dilemmas and that the only way we can avoid regrets is to trust God with all our hearts and not lean unto our own understanding (per Prov. 3:5-6). We have no better idea than God and His plan for us is that which is perfect and good for us. We are to fulfill God's purpose for us and realize His will in all our ways.
The life lived for self is filled with regret, insecurity, and worry because there's no place for trusting God. "He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee" (cf. Isaiah 26:3). God wants our faith to be tested in the crucible of fire to make sure it's genuine, saving faith and faith isn't worth much if it's easy! God cannot force faith either and have it worth anything because that isn't real faith, but coercion or determinism.
For this reason, God makes faith a gift of grace and elects us to believe by grace; it's not because of merit or wisdom we have it but we believe through grace (cf. Acts 18:27). Even if salvation were by wisdom or intelligence, God is the One who makes one wise or intelligent--you cannot escape grace. "Grace reigns through righteousness" (cf. Romans 5:21). It has been granted unto us to believe; i.e., it's a privilege! (cf. Phil. 1:29). It's the work of God (cf. John 6:29). God works in us both to do and to will of His good pleasure (cf. Phil. 2:13).
But we can rest assured that Jesus went through every type of trial for us and we don't experience anything unique that He cannot relate to us with as a human (cf. Heb. 2:18). "[B]ecause we don't have a high priest who can't sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin (Heb. 4:15, CEB). Soli Deo Gloria!