I Give Up My Will

Day 30 of Lenten Devotional Series

Guest Post by Jon Meyers, Crossland Community Church

Matthew 26:39 (KJV)  And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Dying to oneself is hard. 

What does that even mean?  Dying to oneself, or dying to self – how can a person do that, much less be expected to do that?  And we’re not talking about just any person, we’re talking about me.  How can I possibly live up to the expectation which accompanies dying to myself?

Look at how The Message treats that same verse:

Matthew 26:39 (KJV)  Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”

"If there is any way, get me out of this.”  Granted, The Message isn’t a translation but rather a transliteration; nonetheless, if Jesus asked Our Father if there could be another way possible, how am I not supposed to ask if He can “get me out of this?”

The answer is simple:  God never asks us to do something that we cannot do.  Since He requires obedience, obedience must be possible.  However, just because the answer is simple, doesn’t mean putting that answer into practice is equally simple.  Possible doesn’t mean easy.  It means possible. 

In Matthew 16:25, Jesus takes this principle even further: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (NASB).  Good gravy – how am I supposed to be able to do that!?! 

The answer is again simple:  Jesus never asks us to do anything that He didn’t already successfully do Himself.  If He instructs us to do it (and He does), it has to be possible.  In fact, Jesus says in John 14:12-14:  ^“ Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  In other words, not only can we do what He did, because He did it – we can now do greater things because when we ask Him, He will do them for us.

His will.  Not mine.

Currently, I can confidently say I know and understand this.  However, knowing isn’t doing.  Understanding isn’t doing.  Only doing is doing.  In an attempt at public accountability, I now proclaim to you that I am doing just that: 

I hereby am doing the doing. 

Oddly enough, by not only seeking His will, but elevating it above mine by putting it into continual use, it will help me in my longstanding heart’s desire: serving others.  Did you know that sometimes you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons?  A focus on His will moves me away from selfishness and self-centeredness and makes my intention, to care deeply for others, more effectual.  When my own self-interest is removed from the consideration, I am more attentive to the concerns and needs of others.

Lastly, I want to end with this:  I didn’t get saved until I was an adult.  In fact, today, April 4, marks the 25^th anniversary of my salvation experience.  I wanted to mention it, to plant a marker of some sort – at the end of this devotional, because April 4 was the day I first knew that I would have to give up my will entirely.  Of course, as a one-day-old Baby Christian, there was no way I could ever have known what that meant. 

It only took me 25 years, but now I finally do.