Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace site entitled “Following Him.”.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 ESV
When you try to do life on your own and do the things that you want to do and live how
you want to live and date the people you want to date and pursue the career you
want then have a plan to turn your life over to God later when you "lived your
life to the fullest" and done all the things that you wanted to do and your about 50 years old, your actually missing out on more than you think.
When we give God our lives and put Him and His desires before our own and choose His will and the plans that He has for us instead of our own, all of the deepest desires of our hearts are granted to us and begin to unfold on our life journey following Christ.
When we are spiritually reborn, that's when our life really begins!!
Some think living for God is all about what you can't do and that’s a shame because they are really missing out on life.
Life without Christ is no life at all.
When you follow Christ and become close and build a relationship with Him you
can't help but fall in love with Him and want to be more like Him.
The more you get to know Him the more you love Him. His love changes hearts.
When He changes your heart that is when you become a follower of Christ and you begin to WANT to live according to His Word and there are things that you DON'T want to do anymore. When you are following in His footsteps you want to be more like Him every day. It’s not about what you can’t do, but rather, it’s about your relationship with Him.
Following in His footsteps will lead us to His plans and what He wants for our lives, which is really what we want too!!
Many years ago I made that change in my life and pursued Christ and left my old life behind and all my plans, hopes, and dreams. Up until then, I always thought that “church” and “God” and all of that was all about standards, rules, and what you can’t do. I realized that letting go of my hopes, dreams, and plans to follow Him was the beginning of my life.
When I began to live my life following Christ and following His plans and dreams and the life He had waiting for me, all of my deepest hopes, desires, and dreams were added. All of the things that I have ever wanted (even things that I didn’t even know I wanted) began showing up in my life and the best part is…there is so much more yet to come!
He knows us more than we know ourselves!
You will never be disappointed putting Him first in your life. Only until you begin to follow Him and His plans will you begin to live for the first time and experience life like never before.
Are you pursuing your plans in hopes of getting what you want?
God knows your deepest desires and longs to fulfill them… all we have to do is let go of our plans and follow Him which will lead us to all of our hopes, dreams and desires.
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
You can also read this blog at Laced with Grace.
