Not Mine but Thine

When we are raising our children, we want the best for them.

We want them to grow up as strong, healthy, mature and responsible

adults. We do our best to teach them everything that is good, and

most importantly what is the true way according to God’s word. Our

hope is that one day it will make a difference. There are also those

times when they want to do things that are not beneficial to them,

and we must say “no” to them. In those moments it becomes our will

over their will, and they do not always see it as a good thing, but in

time we know it will be for their own good.

For us as God’s children it can be the same way. He knows what

is best for us even when we can’t always see it clearly. We want our

own way, because we think we know what is best and we can have

such a difficult time conforming to His will. We like to be in control,

to know what is coming at all times and we even tell ourselves that

we have everything under control. When that happens though,

eventually the bottom seems to fall out, and what started out as

everything seemingly in control and good has ended up in disaster.

Just as our children must learn the hard way, we as adults also go

through the same thing. Society is not much help in this area either,

for they encourage self-reliance. This often leads to not asking

anyone for help, including God. We feel the need to be self-reliant,

because we believe if we can’t make things work within ourselves for

some reason, it shows our inadequacy. Yet following this thinking

leads us to, at some point, experiencing burn out and possibly even

major mistakes. We then find ourselves becoming mentally drained

and physically tired.

In Luke 22:42 we read about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

He was there praying on the night before He was to be crucified. He

prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my

will, but yours be done.”

Jesus knew that He had to die on the cross for mankind, but I’m

sure He dreaded it. You must remember, even though He was the

Son of God, He was still flesh and blood, and being crucified was an

extremely long and painful death. He also knew it was going to be

beyond painful, yet He prayed, “Your will be done.” He then

followed through with God’s will, and because of His choice we have

eternal life and forgiveness of all our sins.

Our prayer should always be the same that Jesus prayed; “Yet

not My will, but yours be done.” Too many times we pray for our will

to be done when the focus of our lives should always be God’s will

above anything else. Honestly, what do we really have to give up

compared to Jesus? The answer is nothing that matters. Our time,

wants, desires should always conform to Him and His will and not

ours. We need to continually make sure our lives reflect the will of

God and not our own will. We are to remember that it’s just not

about focusing on the purpose God has for us, but also about our

daily routines and our daily habits. It’s about seeking and

worshipping God daily and letting the love of God shine through us

towards others.

We need to remember that we cannot and were not meant to

live our lives with “us” as the focus. When this is the case is when the

bottom seems to eventually fall out. Even Jesus’ life was not about

Himself, but it was about serving others and doing the will of His

Father. Our lives should and need to be the same way, every minute

of every day. Think for a minute if Jesus would not have followed

the will of God, we would be eternally lost. In the same way, if we do

not follow the will of God for our own lives, we will never have the

meaning and purpose that our lives were created and meant to have.

We will not be able to affect those around us for Christ. So, start now

living your life according to His will and not your own!

What About You?

1. What results do you find hard to leave with God?

2. What is one way you can trust in His plans today?

From God's Garden Tools by Gina Burns