Do I want the things God wants, or do I still want my way just a little bit more? Am I really making EVERY effort to be fruitful in my faith?

Inspired by God, Peter said to “make every effort” to possess things like faith, virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness , kindness, and love “in increasing measure” (2 Peter 1:5-9, NIV)

Every effort?
Increasing measure?

Responding to the news from the angel about all what God would do, the young virgin mother of Jesus said, “Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

According to His Word?
Not mine?

And with all that, my heart is convicted.

Because honestly, there is still a whole lot of me that would like to focus on the here and now, get comfortable, and I like my life to be according to MY word.

What’s more, my eyes can clearly see, or imagine, hard things and I don’t want those to come my way or my family’s way.

I can actually reason through some great scenarios where I am free of worries, comfortable, and still very able to point others to Jesus. (Surely, someone needs to serve as a missionary to Maui! 😎)

If I’m really honest, I’d like God to work things out my way, in just about every way.

But my eyes can only see so far. My plans are ridiculously short-sighted when I truly think about this and the eternal.

And it’s pretty silly of me to think, when I can’t see or know everything, that I could see and know what’s eternally best. 🤔

For the truth is,
the bigger-than-I-know-God
does
bigger-than-I-would-do
with the
harder-than-I-would-choose.
All the time.

All.
The.
Time.

I know, eternal things are so much better than temporal gain.

But most of the time, all we can see and feel, is just what’s right in front of us.

And we get stuck there.
Or, at least I do sometimes.

But when we look up and give God free reign and ask Him to let it be to us according to HIS word…
no matter what that might be…
God does big, eternal, BETTER things.

I know that. I’ve known that. But I need to know that again.

Anybody else? Anybody else need to know again what you knew before?

And so, I remember, I prayerfully lay down my way to His way, again today. And there’s peace there. Peace for today.

I suspect as long as I have breath in me, this side of Heaven, I’ll find myself needing that young faithful girls’ words of Luke 1:38, “Let it be to me according to your word” to remind me again to walk forward in faith, looking beyond the bounds of self to the Kingdom of the Eternal Most High God.

Glory to Him! Great is His faithfulness!

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