A decision to follow Jesus is a decision to follow his path. After walking his paths for a number of years it is easy to forget that I am following Jesus and not my own ideas. I've traveled the road that I'm walking for so long sometimes I forget that it wasn't my road in the first place.
Sometimes I feel that I'm being self-centered if I ask God to help me on this journey or if I ask for favor in new opportunities but I am reminded that it is his reason-for-creating-me and not my purpose that I'm fulfilling. It's God's responsibility to fulfill what He asked me to do in the first place. The journey to which I willfully submitted.
I'm so big on making sure that I'm on the right path that sometimes I forget that it is altogether God's path anyway.
Thinking back to the starting place of this journey, I remember I wasn't thrilled about walking this way but as the assurance and peace of God swept over me I wanted to walk this path more than anything else in life. I would often sing this song with tears in my eyes and deep joy in my heart:
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back.
Yeah, sometimes I've got to really watch self-will even while on God's path but not much has changed. I'm still walking the same path and I needed to be reminded today that it wasn't a journey of my making but of my obedience and though I now find great joy in the path it is still God's purpose for my life and I will depend upon Him to keep lighting the way and giving me favor to do what He asked me to do in the first place. In this season, for me, it is not self-centeredness, it is self-denial that has brought such joy that is almost feels self-centered at times.
Self still has to die every day but I've got to keep straight who the path belongs to. Especially when it takes some strange twists and turns.
God makes Good Deposits into our lives.
