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I'll never forget that night. I had just prayed to receive Christ as my Savior. As a university student, I had discovered the true meaning and purpose in life. I was in awe of God's goodness and grace. I approached the man who had been speaking and said, "I think God wants me in the ministry."
His words would set the
direction for the rest of my life. "Do you realize what it took for Jesus
to save you?" he asked.
"No, I don't think
so," I sheepishly replied.
"Jesus was, is and
always will be God," he responded. "Yet He left His glory to come to
the earth. He came to die for your sins. He was forsaken, beaten and ultimately
hung on a cruel Roman cross. He did all of that for you, and remember, He's the
King of Glory. If He did that for you, then you ought to be willing to do
anything for Him."
Those words pierced my
heart. That night, I found myself praying, "Oh, God, whatever you want to
do with my life, I give it to You. I'll go where You want me to go, do what You
want me to do, and become whatever You want me to be." Little did I know
the impact that prayer would have on my future.
I didn't know how God
would use my life, but I decided that night to place my complete trust in Him.
I learned a lesson that night that would remain with me for years in the future
- when I commit my life and work into God's hands, He will bring to pass all
that He desires me to do.
Normally, we plan out
our lives and then build our works around those plans. But God tells us to do
just the opposite. He says, "Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans
will be established" (Proverbs 16:3 NASV). God desires that our lives be
wholly surrendered to Him. When we commit ourselves unto Him and walk in humble obedience to His word, then He establishes our plans.
When we're surrendered
to God, He will show us His plans and thus enable us to carry out those plans.
The prayer of surrender to God is the greatest assurance of living our lives to
our fullest potential. Our future will find its greatest direction in the
prayer of total abandonment to His will.
Find a place where you
can get alone with God and commit today's works into His hands. Learn to do
that daily. As you do, you will discover that God will begin to reveal His
plans for your life. The will of God for our future is in your surrender to Him
today. Most people look for some dramatic sign in order to discern their future
direction in life. But God encourages us to start with the small things -
committing today's works into His hands. Then we will see our plans, or should
we say His plans, established in our lives.
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