WILLINGNESS
08th May 2019
God has given his people free will which means we have responsibility for the way we live and act. Jesus gave His disciples clear instructions, but they were free to chose whether to obey or not. So how is your willingness rating?
Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Do we find these instructions easy?
Why? Is it because we want to be in control of our own destiny; want to make our own decisions; feel that these directives of Jesus might make our life less enjoyable? Do we not believe that following Jesus with all our heart, mind and strength gives us the best life possible, full of joy, peace and blessing?
Choosing to live the life that Jesus lived, and the life that He brought us into when we were born again is the very best life possible. So are we seeking to live that kind of life?
The psalmist David said, “I delight to do your will, O my God.” This was the life that David chose to live, and this verse is also repeated in Hebrews 10:7 as a prophetic indication of how Jesus lived, “Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God.”
Willingness is a wonderful characteristic. When we ask our children to do the various tasks that they have been assigned, to see them done willingly is a great joy. So too does our heavenly Father rejoice when he sees that we want to live lives that please Him and are committed to doing His will and purpose.
Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.” Psalm 119:33 says, “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.”
by Charles Sibthorpe
