<\/p>\n
\u201cFather, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done\u201d (Luke 22:42).<\/p>\n
GREAT SPIRITUAL PROGRESS OCCURS WHEN WE LEARN TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR REASONS HIGHER THAN THOSE THAT HAVE MOVED US IN THE PAST. The very act of doing the right thing is important, of course. But even more important than that is our motive for doing it. Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of the heart. And we must get to the point where we do the right thing not just for good reasons but for the higher reasons \u2014 the highest of all these being the pure love of God Himself.<\/p>\n
It is not an easy thing to wrestle with the question \u201cWhat are we to do?\u201d and keep the focus on God. Even as we consider what God\u2019s will might be from a theoretical standpoint, it\u2019s hard to keep our thoughts from being overpowered by the more immediate concerns that relate to ourselves. How will this or that action affect our feelings? What will make us happy? What will others think of us? What will we think of ourselves? What\u2019s our best strategy?<\/em> All this fretful self-concern about the pros and cons of human behavior makes it appear that life is about us. But life is not about us; it\u2019s about God. All the self-centered questions in the world matter very little next to the question of God: what does God desire?<\/em> And we are never in more danger of acting selfishly than when the thing that God desires happens to be a thing that also accrues to our advantage. It\u2019s hard to keep from wrapping plain old self-will in the mantle of \u201cGod\u2019s will.\u201d<\/p>\n At some point we must learn not only to do what\u2019s right but also to do it for God\u2019s sake. Whether obedience seems advantageous or disadvantageous to us personally can\u2019t be allowed to dominate the discussion. Many good things do come to the obedient, and it would be naive to suggest that we shouldn\u2019t be drawn to these. But they can\u2019t be our primary concern. Jesus taught that we get the good things God has for us only by forgetting these things and keeping our focus on Him. We find ourselves only when we lose ourselves, and life is gained in the act of giving it up.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Not as I will, but as thou wilt.\u2019 To be able to say these words and truly mean them is the highest point we can ever hope to attain. Then, indeed, we have broken out of time\u2019s hard shell to breathe, not its stale air, but the fresh, exhilarating atmosphere of eternity\u201d (Malcolm Muggeridge).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n