What does it take to follow God's way, not ours?

It is God's call, God's will, God's way. God gives us commandments, unsolicited or prompted, to fulfill the call and purpose he has walked in our life. Philippians 2: 5-11 says this:

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider robbery to be equal to God, but made no reputation, taking the form of a slave, and coming in the likeness of the men. And finding himself in appearance like a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name which is above every name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee would bend, of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth, and that every language should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father “.

Do I really believe that God can do through me what He calls me to do?

Do I believe I can know and walk in God's will for my life?

Once we have resolved these questions with a resounding "yes," then we must prove our faith by making all the necessary adjustments in our lives to obey God and serve Him as He has appointed.

In our text we note that the Son had to make some adjustments before he could obey the Father and thus join the Father in the redemptive work of the world.

He made the necessary adjustments (vs.

Likewise, when we perceive God's call to take a new step of obedience on our walk with Him and decide to respond by faith to His call, we will first need to make the necessary adjustments to walk in obedience.

Once this is done, we can obey and be blessed as we receive the rewards that accompany those steps of obedience to God.

What kinds of adjustments might we need to make to obey God's call?

Typically, the adjustments we may need to make in our lives to obey God fall into one of the following categories:

1. An adjustment regarding our attitude - Verses 5-7
Notice the attitude of the Son that put him in a position to obey the Father. His attitude was that it was worth paying any price to join the Father in doing his will. Even so, God's invitation to us will also require a similar attitude if we are to be able to obey.

With regard to all that is required to obey the father's call, we must have the attitude that whatever sacrifices necessary to do God's will are worthwhile in light of the inevitable reward for obedience.
It was this attitude that allowed Jesus to obey the call to sacrifice himself on the cross for our good.

"Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was placed before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and sat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12: 2) .

Obeying God will always require an adjustment of our attitude regarding the value of whatever sacrifice is required to obey him.

2. An Adjustment Regarding Our Actions - Verse 8
The Son has worked to make the changes necessary to obey the Father, and we will have to do the same. We cannot stay where we are and follow God.

Following His calling will always require the necessary actions to adjust our lives so that we can obey.

Noah could not continue life as usual and build an ark at the same time (Genesis 6).

Moses could not stand on the back side of the desert grazing sheep and at the same time stand before Pharaoh (Exodus 3).

David had to leave his sheep to become king (1 Samuel 16: 1-13).

Peter, Andrew, James, and John had to leave their fishing businesses to follow Jesus (Matthew 4: 18-22).

Matthew had to leave his comfortable job as a tax collector to follow Jesus (Matthew 9: 9).

Paul had to completely change direction in his life to be used by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9: 1-19).

God will always clarify what actions we must take to adapt and enable us to obey Him, because He wants to bless us.

See, not only can we not stay where we are and follow God, but we can't follow God and stay the same!

We are never so similar to Jesus as to determine that it is worth making a sacrifice to follow God and then take whatever action is necessary to obey Him and be rewarded by Him.

This is what Jesus was referring to when he said:

“Then he said to all of them: 'If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it '”(Luke 9: 23-24).

The translation of Matthew 16: 24-26's message explains it this way:

“Anyone who intends to come with me must let me guide. You're not in the driver's seat - I am. Don't run away from suffering; hug him. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help doesn't help at all. Self sacrifice is the way, my way, to find yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose yourself, the real you? "

What adjustments will you make?
How is God calling you to “take up your cross” today? How does He call you to obey Him? What adjustments will you have to make to do this?

It is an adjustment in:

- Your circumstances (such as work, home, finances)

- Your relationships (marriage, family, friends, business partners)

- Your thinking (prejudices, methods, your potential)

- Your commitments (for family, church, work, projects, tradition)

- Your activities (such as pray, give, serve, spend your free time)

- Your beliefs (about God, his purposes, his ways, yourself, your relationship with God)?

Emphasize this: Any changes or sacrifices I may have to make to obey God are always worth it because it is only by embracing my "cross" that I will fulfill the destiny that has been given to me by God.

“I was crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me ”(Galatians 2:20).

So what will it be? Will you waste your life or invest in your life? Will you live for yourself or for your Savior? Will you follow the way of the crowd or the way of the cross?

You decide!