Not my will…

 
Today’s devotional is about the human will and encourages readers to choose to obey God by exercising their will. Emphasis is put on the power of our will. This is a common theme in this devotional book ironically titled “God is Enough.”

Every time I read the statements that say our power to live the Christian life is in the will, I think of what Jesus said in the garden: “Not my will but Thine be done” and have to assume that there is a difference between my will and the will of God. Jesus had no problem with His will because He didn’t think about Himself or what He wanted that might be contrary to the will of the Father, but I do. My will, which is a strong part of my old nature, wants what I want when I want it.

When Jesus came into my heart, I became aware that His nature and mine were not the same. I too can say, “not my will but Thine be done” — particularly when the conflict is obvious and I’m walking in the Spirit. Even though my old nature wants whatever it wants, the Spirit alerts me to the will of God and the difference. 

For instance, when driving in heavy traffic, I’ve noticed that I can choose patience. That is, this attitude is in me, the attitude of the Spirit of God, and because of Him I choose to live by it instead of the old way. Even in that ordinary situation, this applies:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14–16)

God wants me to choose to “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do…” (Galatians 5:16–18)

However, there is another part of this that is often overlooked; I also need the Spirit of God to even make that choice. Without Jesus in my life, there is only one will — mine. With Jesus, there are two, and enabling me to choose His will is part of what He does — simply because my old nature, which died with Him, is persistent to crawl off the altar and live. Again, Jesus comes to the rescue:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now…. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13)

God works in me to enable me to want His will as well as do it. He knows the weakness of human flesh. A Christian once said that this weakness is a problem, not because it is weak but because it should be considered dead, not able to function at all, never mind interfere with our decisions.

Yes, God is enough. Relying on Him may seem like my choice, but without Him, I would not see the choice, never mind be able to make it. The human will left untouched by the power of redemption will never say “not my will” but will always insist on having its own way. This is why Jesus came and had to die, that He could change hearts and give sinners a new way to live.

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:14–18)

PRAY: The older I get and the longer this walk through time with You, Jesus, the more I realize that You alone are my Savior and the One who enables me to follow You. In all of life, my will needs to be ignored and Your will totally relied on, and to make that choice, I also need Your Spirit and Your grace.