Titus 2 Men And Women

Teach Me To Do Thy Will
by Julie Fink

"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good;
lead me into the land of uprightness.  Quicken me, O Lord for thy name’s sake:
for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble."  Psalm 143:10-11

About two years ago, as my then sixteen year old and I were sitting in the car together, waiting for her ensemble practice to begin, she turned to me in confidence and said, "Mom, can I tell you something that I am afraid of?  I’m afraid that I am going to go to Bible College, meet some fine fellow, fall in love with him, and then he will want me to wear ‘these kinds of skirts’ and ‘college approved culottes’ all my life."

After she said this, I just smiled.  Coming here to college has been quite a change for all of us.  I knew that she wasn’t completely sold on all of the college’s standards yet.  I knew that she struggled with what she was supposed to wear and how she was supposed to wear it.  And yet, I also knew that coming here to college was God’s will for our family.  And part of that will was for us to adopt these conservative Christian standards.

But even though I knew all of this, my heart still felt for her.  It’s not an easy thing to want to do God’s will ~ especially when doing is calls for a sacrifice of your own right!

So, rather than give her a "you need to do what is right" lecture, I decided to smile at her instead.  I told her not to worry about it, and I remind her that God would teach her how to do the things that He would want her to do when she needed to do them.

I had all but forgotten about this conversation, until the other day, when a personal ‘fear’ of my own was exposed.

"Dave," I had asked my husband out of curiosity on that day, "What do you think God wants you to do for Him after you graduate from Bible College?"

 "Well, Julie," he answered, slowly and deliberately, as though his life depended upon it, "I think God is calling me to be an Evangelist."

"An Evangelist?" I responded, hoping that I didn’t hear him right, "You mean, like a traveling Evangelist?  The kind that goes from place to place and doesn’t have a home?"

"Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.  Don’t you think it would be so exciting to travel around together, visiting churches and encouraging others with God’s Word?"

 No, I thought to myself, I don’t think that sounds the least bit exciting.   This is ME your talking to, I wanted to remind him, the "urban homemaker" herself.  I’m the one that loves to grind her own wheat and bake her own bread.  I’m the one who loves decorating, house cleaning, and gardening.  I’m the one who loves family gatherings, getting to know her neighbors, and local church activities.  I am NOT the one that wants to spend the rest of her life traveling from place to place and living out of a suitcase.  These were all of the things that I wanted to say to him.

But, as I looked into the eyes of my precious, prospective, "Evangelist-to-be"  husband, I decided to say nothing.  I didn’t have the heart to.  He was so excited and I didn’t want to be the one to damper his enthusiasm.

So, I just smiled at him, told myself not to worry about it, and reminded myself (just like I had reminded Sabrina), that I could count on God to teach me how to do the things that He would want me to do when He wanted me to do them.

Have you ever panicked over doing the will of God?  Have you ever struggled to do what God wanted you to do?  Have you ever resisted His prompting as He tried to lead you in a different direction?  Have you ever begged Him to let you do things differently?

If you have, it might comfort you to know that Jesus did too.  Remember how He felt  as His eyes viewed God’s will for Him on Calvary?  "O my Father," He had cried out, "If this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done."  Jesus knew what was ahead of Him.  He knew that He was going to be betrayed, forsaken, beaten, scorned, mocked, and crucified.  He knew the pain that He would suffer and the humiliation that He would endure.  . And yet, He also knew that If He didn’t do what God willed for Him to do on that day ~ that God’s will for the rest of us would never have been done.

Do you realize, that without the yielding of Jesus to God’s will, there would have been no death on the cross?  There would have been no three days in the tomb.  There would have been no resurrection.  There would have been no fulfillment of the scriptures.  There would have been no payment for our sins.  There would be no salvation for us.  There would be no Easter celebration . . .and there would be no hope for saving sinners in a lost world.

As I sit here and think about all that rested upon Jesus’ willingness to obey His Father in this situation, I can’t help but wonder what is resting upon willingness to obey God is our situations too.

What was resting behind Sabrina’s willingness to attend Bible College and dress modestly?    Is this where God plans for her to meet her future mate?  Is God planning on using her to encourage other young ladies someday in the area of modesty and femininity?   Are there children that God has planned for her to raise that will need the kind of wisdom and standards that she will learn by going to college there?  I don’t know, but if God calls her to do His will in this area, He must have a good reason for it.

What was resting behind my willingness to follow my husband if God calls him to be an Evangelist?  Is God planning on using him someday to encourage a Pastor and his struggling congregation?  Is there some young man out there that needs to be helped by him?  Are there young boys that he will meet along the way that need to be inspired by his masculine example?  I don’t know, but if God is calling me to follow him as he does this, there must be a good reason for it.

What about you?  What is resting behind your willinness to put your own rights aside and do God’s will?  Is it a husband that God wants to use and bless?  Is it children that God wants to strengthen and train?  Is it a neighbor that needs to be saved?  Is it a church family that needs to be encouraged?  Is it a stranger that needs to be helped?

I don’t know what God wants you to do today.  Maybe as you read this, God is calling you to quit your job and stay home and care for your family.  Maybe He is leading you to submit to the authority of your husband.  Maybe He is asking you to be content in the place that you are living.  Maybe He is asking you to give your heart to His calling of homemaking.  Maybe He is encouraging you to share the gospel with others.  Maybe He is calling you to train your children at home.  Or maybe He is just reminding you to spend more time fellowshipping with Him.

Whatever God is calling you to do for Him today ~ you can be sure that there is a good reason for it.  God never asks us to do anything in vain; His will always has a purpose.  Oh, and by the way . . . His will is good . . . both for us and for those that will be affected by it.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.  Mold me and make me
After Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master today! 
Whiter than snow, Lord wash me just now,
as in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!
 Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power surely is Thine!
  Touch me and help me, Savior divine! 
Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!
  Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only,
always, living in me!

~ traditional hymn by Adelaide A. Pollard

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