We want to take our lives in our own hands.
“BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD.”
We have our own timelines.
“AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS.”
We want control.
“FINALLY, BRETHREN, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE HONEST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT; IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE, AND IF THERE BE ANY PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS.”
We want things and then we want nicer things. The world says to chase after your dreams and if you don’t go after what you want you won’t get it.
“THOSE THINGS, WHICH YE HAVE BOTH LEARNED, AND RECEIVED, AND HEARD, AND SEEN IN ME, DO: AND THE GOD OF PEACE SHALL BE WITH YOU.”
The world says to try harder and if you work hard enough you’ll be successful, but you can’t just sit by and wonder why nothing is happening for you.
“BUT I REJOICED IN THE LORD GREATLY, THAT NOW AT THE LAST YOUR CARE OF ME HATH FLOURISHED AGAIN; WHEREIN YE WERE ALSO CAREFUL, BUT YE LACKED OPPORTUNITY.”
Get a better job to make more money. Buy more things. Go on vacations.
“NOT THAT I SPEAK IN RESPECT OF WANT: FOR I HAVE LEARNED, IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM, THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.”
Fill the emptiness inside with things and hobbies… a black hole of selfishness.
When Plan A doesn’t work go to Plan B and when that doesn’t work try harder at Plan A.
“I KNOW BOTH HOW TO BE ABASED, AND I KNOW HOW TO ABOUND: EVERY WHERE AND IN ALL THINGS I AM INSTRUCTED BOTH TO BE FULL AND TO BE HUNGRY, BOTH TO ABOUND AND TO SUFFER NEED.”
But, what if neither of those plans was God’s plan for you?
“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME.”
Did you really surrender or did you just say you did and hope God catches up to your own will? Do you really want God’s plan for you or do you want your plan with God’s name on it?
You talk to your ‘Christian friends’ who tell you you’re doing it all wrong. You need to forget about “being still” and work toward something. You need to be doing something. You need to “do this” in order to lay at Christ’s feet forgetting that laying at Christ’s feet means you surrendered to not ‘doing something’. You start looking at what your fiends or other people are telling you… you’re taking counsel from people who have no idea what God has told you. They want what they want for you instead of what God wants for you. How can they know what God wants for you? There is no mediator except Christ and if they aren’t Christ what are you doing seeking counsel from someone other than the only Wise Counsellor. He died for you. He gave you a life… this is personal because you are not in a covenant with your Creator. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Surrender doesn’t mean you’ve given up. It means you’ve cast your plans aside. You threw them away and dove right in to accept what God has for you not knowing what it is… simply knowing it is good because He is good.
Below is Ecclesiastes Ch 2.
“BUT WHAT THINGS WERE GAIN TO ME, THOSE I COUNTED LOSS FOR CHRIST. YEA DOUBTLESS, AND I COUNT ALL THINGS BUT LOSS FOR THE EXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST JESUS MY LORD: FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND DO COUNT THEM BUT DUNG, THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST…” – PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8
In Christ Alone – Celtic Worship Youtube
ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 2:
“I SAID IN MINE HEART, GO TO NOW, I WILL PROVE THEE WITH MIRTH, THEREFORE ENJOY PLEASURE: AND, BEHOLD, THIS ALSO IS VANITY.
2 I SAID OF LAUGHTER, IT IS MAD: AND OF MIRTH, WHAT DOETH IT?
3 I SOUGHT IN MINE HEART TO GIVE MYSELF UNTO WINE, YET ACQUAINTING MINE HEART WITH WISDOM; AND TO LAY HOLD ON FOLLY, TILL I MIGHT SEE WHAT WAS THAT GOOD FOR THE SONS OF MEN, WHICH THEY SHOULD DO UNDER THE HEAVEN ALL THE DAYS OF THEIR LIFE.
4 I MADE ME GREAT WORKS; I BUILDED ME HOUSES; I PLANTED ME VINEYARDS:
5 I MADE ME GARDENS AND ORCHARDS, AND I PLANTED TREES IN THEM OF ALL KIND OF FRUITS:
6 I MADE ME POOLS OF WATER, TO WATER THEREWITH THE WOOD THAT BRINGETH FORTH TREES: 7 I GOT ME SERVANTS AND MAIDENS, AND HAD SERVANTS BORN IN MY HOUSE; ALSO I HAD GREAT POSSESSIONS OF GREAT AND SMALL CATTLE ABOVE ALL THAT WERE IN JERUSALEM BEFORE ME:
8 I GATHERED ME ALSO SILVER AND GOLD, AND THE PECULIAR TREASURE OF KINGS AND OF THE PROVINCES: I GAT ME MEN SINGERS AND WOMEN SINGERS, AND THE DELIGHTS OF THE SONS OF MEN, AS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND THAT OF ALL SORTS. 9 SO I WAS GREAT, AND INCREASED MORE THAN ALL THAT WERE BEFORE ME IN JERUSALEM: ALSO MY WISDOM REMAINED WITH ME.
10 AND WHATSOEVER MINE EYES DESIRED I KEPT NOT FROM THEM, I WITHHELD NOT MY HEART FROM ANY JOY; FOR MY HEART REJOICED IN ALL MY LABOUR: AND THIS WAS MY PORTION OF ALL MY LABOUR. 11 THEN I LOOKED ON ALL THE WORKS THAT MY HANDS HAD WROUGHT, AND ON THE LABOUR THAT I HAD LABOURED TO DO: AND, BEHOLD, ALL WAS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT, AND THERE WAS NO PROFIT UNDER THE SUN.
12 AND I TURNED MYSELF TO BEHOLD WISDOM, AND MADNESS, AND FOLLY: FOR WHAT CAN THE MAN DO THAT COMETH AFTER THE KING? EVEN THAT WHICH HATH BEEN ALREADY DONE. 13 THEN I SAW THAT WISDOM EXCELLETH FOLLY, AS FAR AS LIGHT EXCELLETH DARKNESS.
14 THE WISE MAN’S EYES ARE IN HIS HEAD; BUT THE FOOL WALKETH IN DARKNESS: AND I MYSELF PERCEIVED ALSO THAT ONE EVENT HAPPENETH TO THEM ALL.
15 THEN SAID I IN MY HEART, AS IT HAPPENETH TO THE FOOL, SO IT HAPPENETH EVEN TO ME; AND WHY WAS I THEN MORE WISE? THEN I SAID IN MY HEART, THAT THIS ALSO IS VANITY. 16 FOR THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF THE WISE MORE THAN OF THE FOOL FOR EVER; SEEING THAT WHICH NOW IS IN THE DAYS TO COME SHALL ALL BE FORGOTTEN. AND HOW DIETH THE WISE MAN? AS THE FOOL.
17 THEREFORE I HATED LIFE; BECAUSE THE WORK THAT IS WROUGHT UNDER THE SUN IS GRIEVOUS UNTO ME: FOR ALL IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT. 18 YEA, I HATED ALL MY LABOUR WHICH I HAD TAKEN UNDER THE SUN: BECAUSE I SHOULD LEAVE IT UNTO THE MAN THAT SHALL BE AFTER ME. 19 AND WHO KNOWETH WHETHER HE SHALL BE A WISE MAN OR A FOOL? YET SHALL HE HAVE RULE OVER ALL MY LABOUR WHEREIN I HAVE LABOURED, AND WHEREIN I HAVE SHEWED MYSELF WISE UNDER THE SUN.
THIS IS ALSO VANITY.
20 THEREFORE I WENT ABOUT TO CAUSE MY HEART TO DESPAIR OF ALL THE LABOUR WHICH I TOOK UNDER THE SUN. 21 FOR THERE IS A MAN WHOSE LABOUR IS IN WISDOM, AND IN KNOWLEDGE, AND IN EQUITY; YET TO A MAN THAT HATH NOT LABOURED THEREIN SHALL HE LEAVE IT FOR HIS PORTION. THIS ALSO IS VANITY AND A GREAT EVIL.
22 FOR WHAT HATH MAN OF ALL HIS LABOUR, AND OF THE VEXATION OF HIS HEART, WHEREIN HE HATH LABOURED UNDER THE SUN? 23 FOR ALL HIS DAYS ARE SORROWS, AND HIS TRAVAIL GRIEF; YEA, HIS HEART TAKETH NOT REST IN THE NIGHT. THIS IS ALSO VANITY.
24 THERE IS NOTHING BETTER FOR A MAN, THAN THAT HE SHOULD EAT AND DRINK, AND THAT HE SHOULD MAKE HIS SOUL ENJOY GOOD IN HIS LABOUR. THIS ALSO I SAW, THAT IT WAS FROM THE HAND OF GOD. 25 FOR WHO CAN EAT, OR WHO ELSE CAN HASTEN HEREUNTO, MORE THAN I?
26 FOR GOD GIVETH TO A MAN THAT IS GOOD IN HIS SIGHT WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE, AND JOY: BUT TO THE SINNER HE GIVETH TRAVAIL, TO GATHER AND TO HEAP UP, THAT HE MAY GIVE TO HIM THAT IS GOOD BEFORE GOD. THIS ALSO IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT.
When life is nothing like you planned and neither is Plan B…or C…
Beloved Oath of God 