When we pray, we often make “I” statements. When we make plans, we often think of them as our plans. When seeking work, business, or an investment, we often move in an “I” fashion, meaning it’s all about what I want.
The danger of living with an “I” mindset, even when our intentions are good, is that we may fail to consider the possibility that God’s will for our lives may be very different from our own. When things in life are about what I want, they never end well. In sharp contrast, Jesus never worried or feared outcomes. That’s because He was about doing His Father’s will, not His own.
John 6:38
For I have come down from Heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
Christ’s 33 years on earth are our example of what it means to abide in Christ and put God first. Our Father in Heaven wants His children to do well; He desires to bless us.
Ephesians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the Heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
That problem is, when we move from God’s will to following our own, we begin to trust ourselves instead of God as the lord of our lives. We become like the prodigal son who took his inheritance early so he could do his will rather than his father’s. He rejected his father’s authority and followed his own counsel. As we know, this did not go well. The prodigal son not only squandered his inheritance, but he also ended up as a slave, eating with pigs! Totally humbled, he returned home to his father.
When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit—fruit that will last.
John 15:5 (ESV)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.
But when we step out of His will and into our own, we risk abandoning God’s plan for our lives. When we realize we have moved away from God, we should return in fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
If we choose to continue on our own way for a season, will our disobedience nullify the will of God? No, because in His goodness, God is patient with us like He was with the prodigal son. So, even though the prodigal continued to do things his way, God waited with open arms for him to return. When the prodigal son finally came home to his father, he did so with a greater respect and honor for his father.
When we fail to ask God to guide us, or we reject His guidance and step outside of His will, He is not wondering if we will return to Him; He is actually in our mess of rejection, calling us back to Him. Consider Jesus, who remained steadfast to His Father’s will even though He was constantly among those who rejected Him, persecuted Him, and finally hung Him on the cross. Jesus never worried or feared, because He knew He was doing His Father’s will—even if it meant death! Why? Because He was certain of His assignment.
We need to consider this as we make plans for our lives, knowing that God has plans to prosper His children.
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This prosperity is not necessarily prosperity on earth; it’s an eternal prosperity. When we move from outside of God’s will to our will, we run the risk of moving farther away from God and possibly facing eternal damnation. Solomon said the end of all things was to fear God and do His will.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
It is a fearful thing to turn away from the will and commands of God to serve our own desires. There are severe consequences for continually choosing to live outside the will of God. These consequences are not only for our time on earth, but for eternity.
However, for those of us like the prodigal son who have been called according to God’s purpose, God can use our temporary rejection to bring us to a higher calling. Notice that when the prodigal returned to his father, the Scripture suggests that the father anticipated this. He not only embraced and gave him the family ring, but he also threw a huge celebration at his son’s return.
Luke 15:22-24
But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.
The father knew his son would return and celebrated the prospect of having a better relationship with his son. So, how should we respond? First, we should all have a healthy fear of the Lord. The hard truth is that many who reject God and put their desires ahead of His may not be His children at all. Secondly, for us who have been called, we should desire to abide with Jesus by spending time in His Word and prayer. If we know that we have stepped outside of His will, we must return like the prodigal son and make God the Lord of our lives.
How can we doubt the very One who created us? Remember, the clay does not say to the potter, “I want you to make me special.” We are already special because we are His! Men, it’s not about us or ‘I’; it’s about Him.
Have a blessed day!
SL Thomas
RTM