“Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV).
I have a picture of Jesus as a young child near his father, Joseph’s, workbench. He is playing with nails on the floor and his shadow looks like a cross. The saying around the picture is: “It began in a manger and led to a cross and it included us. Most of us spend our lives seeking our destiny. One Man created His own.”
From birth Jesus’ destiny included death on a cross. But, He did have a choice. He could have told His Father no. It is obvious from the above verse that He would have preferred not to have done it, but it was God’s will that was more important than His own. His destiny was one of death in a very humiliating way. He did that for you and me. Something we should not take lightly. You were bought with a price that was very cruel indeed. What will you do for the Lord? You owe Him your life. He rescued you from darkness and wants you to lead others to His wonderful love and light. Your destiny is wrapped up in the Lord’s will. You too can say no, but you will never know what wonderful and exciting things God has in store for you if you don’t step out in faith. God will give you strength and wisdom beyond your wildest dreams to do His will in ways that you have never perceived.
One person did make a difference and achieved something that others would have deemed impossible. This man was William Wilberforce, a Christian man, who kept trying to get a bill passed in England to stop slave trade in 1786. He kept trying for 21 years until it finally passed and slave trade was abolished. This man had a mission and had felt that it was God’s will for him to do this. He withstood a lot of harassment due to his thinking, but he proceeded to do what he felt was the right thing to do. He never gave up, even when his health suffered from the stress. He did the Father's will and never regretted it.
You too have a mission, and you must fulfill what God has called you to do.
Pray and ask for courage and believe that with His strength you can do anything. Answer Him as He himself told His father. “Not my will, but thine be done.”
Dear Lord,
Help us to do as you did. Help us to follow the Lord’s will for our lives and not be afraid. We know you are always with us. Let us step out and make a difference.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
