Conditions

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Php 3:8

Rusty was serving God in a part of the world that was dangerous and uncomfortable. I had known him when comfort had been a significant requirement for life.

“People ask us why we are working in ____. It’s simple. We just took away all the conditions we had placed on God as a requirement for service ... ‘not there, with this security, this financial package, this side of the ocean, this language, this long, etc.’ When we removed all of our conditions and just asked God to use us how he wanted, we ended up where we are; and we are happy to be there.”

Rusty and his wife have settled into a life where their joy is not controlled by circumstances. That which had been so important for satisfaction in their lives is no longer important. How many of us wish that we could face each day with satisfaction, regardless of the threats to the life we had planned? Rusty found the key, it was not by gaining more control over his life; it was by letting go of the reins and handing them over to God. It was by removing all the conditions he had set before God and saying, “Whatever it takes, place me in Your will.”

What conditions have I set before the Lord? “We can go this far … but no farther”. What blessings, what achievements does God have waiting for me beyond the boundaries of my conditions?

Dear Father,
Place me in this life where You have prepared a plan for me. Let me never limit Your glory by my conditions. Amen.