As authentic Believers in Jesus Christ, we no longer live according to subjective theories or philosophies of this world. Submission to God allows us to find much more fulfillment in life. We have no need to make excuses for our failings, or to reap the accountability of humanistic choices, which we no longer make (Colossians 3:25).
We abide in His justice, love His mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Different personality types have various traits, which cause us to make certain styles of decisions. Some are firm and deliberate, others are flexible and impulsive, then we have others who are confrontational and aggressive.
This life is full of changes and surprising turns of events. We cannot plan for everything to come out perfectly, because they rarely do. Even if we are sure that our choice is wise, it may still turn out negatively for us. We cannot earn another’s love by our good works – not even God’s love, because His is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Our only chance at real fulfillment in this life is to submit our life completely to God’s purposes for us (James 4:7). We will know that we are in His will when His peace is ruling in our heart (Colossians 3:15-17). Salvation gives us a spirit-union with the Trinity, and we can rest in the freedom of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).
We fully rely on Christ in seeking His direction, rather than making our own plans and asking Him to bless them (Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:19, 19:21). We decrease our human tendencies so that Christ can increase His holiness within us. We are simply a branch on the Vine of Christ, united with the Father and the Son by the Spirit of God (Luke 14:31, 22:42; Proverbs 15:22, 20:18).
Thankfully, God puts His desires in our heart as we seek His will and consult with Him throughout the day. He transforms us from sinful beings to have the mind and nature of Christ, who abides within us (Psalm 20:4, 21:2). We walk away from our former pattern of making our own choices, and we enter God’s rest as we accept His will for each moment of our day (Proverbs 20:24; Psalm 37:23).
Prayer:
Father God, help us to break our routine of working for You, and instead, allow You to work in and through us. We want to choose Your plan for every moment of our day, even when we cannot see clearly and have to choose to walk by faith in the unseen world. Even so, there is no striving in our walk with You.
We are the branches, and You call us not to strive and strain, but simply to hang out with the Vine as the nutrients of the Holy Spirit flow through us to produce the fruit that fulfills Your desire for our life. Yes, You call us to work out our own salvation, but then You had Paul turn right around and admit that You give us both the desire and the ability to accomplish this (Philippians 2:12-13).
Thought for the Day:
The only striving that God calls us to put forth in our spiritual walk is to strive to “enter His rest.” The more that we mature spiritually, the less the temptations of our flesh, this world and devil have any effect on us; even when Paul admits in Romans Seven that we have to overcome our fleshly desires, God makes it clear in Romans Six and Eight that it is His Spirit that changes our desires, and we are no longer embroiled in the see-saw effect of walking in the flesh or the Spirit.
– Romans 7:24-25; Hebrews 4:11-16; Matthew 4:1-11
