"...nevertheless not My will, but yours, be done" These were the words of Christ in Luke's account of the garden at Gethsemane. Nevertheless, no matter what happens, no matter what I'm faced with, no matter how painful, how uncomfortable, how arduous, regardless of anything else on the face of the earth, not My will father, but Yours be done. WOW! How amazing that statement is. I've learned, God has shown me, that in order for me to be His servant, my attitude has to mirror this statement and it has been one of the longest, hardest, ongoing lessons I've ever learned in my life. See for nearly 20 years I've resided in a prison and this environment, its laws and code of conduct are totally contrary to what God would have me do. God's will is for me to love, this place breeds hate. His will is for me to be caring, compassionate, and selfless in a place where you only look out for self. And for as hard as it has been for me to do these things, for all the funny looks I've gotten, it has also been extremely rewarding. I have seen increase in my life, real increase. My faith has grown, I've found myself strengthened in areas where I was extremely weak, I've learned to love people genuinely, I've grown into a much better minister of his word, and I've grown intimately closer to my God. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done; these words, spoken sincerely to my God brought about immense change in my life. If you too would like this kind of change in your life, if you desire a closer relationship with God, utter these words to Him. But, when you do please be ready because I can almost assure you that what His will for your life is is going to be very different from what you want. He's going to ask you to do things that are painful, things that require faith, devotion, and sacrifice, things you may not be accustomed to doing and He's going to expect obedience. But He's also going to guide and strengthen you through all of this and I assure you it'll be well worth it
Comments