On His Terms

I'm learning another new lesson about surrender. I thought I had the whole surrender thing figured out, I thought it had all finally clicked. However, God is, once again, asking if I will lean in further.He is once again challenging me to trust Him more completely.

Today I am learning that, not only does surrender mean doing God's will, true surrender means doing it His way. One of the most insidious ways to avoid full compliance with the will of God is to recognize what He is asking of you and ignore how He is asking you to do it. By doing it our way, we maintain a semblance of control. We get to tell ourselves that we are surrendering even while we indulge the egotistical part of us that tells us we know better than the Lord. We get to be in the driver's seat and live our lives on our own terms.

However, listening to what God has to say while continuing to live life on our own terms does not follow the example Christ set for us. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night he was betrayed, Jesus cried out to the Lord. He vocalized His prayer that God's plan for his death would be different, but He submitted to the will of the Father. In that moment, Jesus prayed that God would change His plan for Him. He wanted to do it a different way, He dreaded doing it on God's terms. However, Christ submitted to the Father's will anyway saying, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

That is my mantra today: "Nevertheless, not as I will but as You will, Lord."

Are you attempting to accomplish God's work on your terms? Are you willing to live your life on His terms instead?

Today's Verses
Mathew 26: 39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."