Daily Devotion

God's Way

"I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord."  1 Corinthians 7:35 NIV

Although this scripture is from a passage that is in reference to behaviors of married and unmarried people, I think it is perfect for this topic.  Way too often nowadays people just go about living their lives their way, not caring who gets hurt in the crossfire.  They do not think about others, they do not think about the repercussions of their actions, and I highly doubt they consider God or His plan in the process.

I have been under a cloud of uncertainty lately.  I have felt like in instances before, I have planned and planned and planned--with all going according to plan.  Most of the goals I had set for myself as a child I have already accomplished; I graduated both college and graduate school before I was 23, I have a great job, I live on my own and I have been self-sufficient for many years now.  Of course one of those goals I have yet to achieve, and I do not know when that will happen.  But I realized today through talking to my mothers at work that much planning and goal-setting on my part is not a bad idea, but when one is seeking to live life according to God's will, we must acknowledge that those plans may very well never pan out.  We must acknowledge that life will certainly throw its curve balls in the midst, but in the end, that God will make sure it works out according to our good (Rom. 8:28). 

Looking at the scripture above in this particular context helps ease the discomfort I feel.  Knowing that as long as I try and seek God for the right way to do whatever He wants from me, it will work out for my good.  God will align the path and make it straight, removing any obstacles that will prevent me from doing what He wants.  The key is that I must  be willing.  As a recovering control freak (well at least when it comes to my life, I've learned that I can't control anything someone else wants to do) I recognize that there are details God has not revealed to me yet and that my simple act of obedience with the steps He has given me will ensure that when the time is right, the next set will be revealed.  God is so great that He looks ahead at the finished work, while we can only see what may lie ahead of us.  Proverbs 16:9 says that "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." (NASB)  So if we simply relinquish control to God, and just go along for the ride, things will go much smoothly.  The difficulty for us lies in turning over the reigns and becoming a passenger for the trip.  This is a difficult lesson for me, but I'm learning that it is much easier to just sit back and let God do God because I was not equipped with those skills.

"You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail."  Proverbs 19:21 NLT