This is a devotional from Oswald Chambers from July 28th... it's really stuck with me... and I think it's something that God is really teaching me...
'We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” ( Mark 6:49 ). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.'
I think that so many times I get caught in the mindset of an 'end result'... It's so much our culture to want instant answers.... But in our life with Christ we are called to walk day in and day out.. we are called to 'run the race with perserverce' (Hebrews 12:1) and to persevere through trials of many kinds (James 1) and to be patient [long-suffering] in all circumstances (MANY places, but in 1 Cor 13 recently)...
I just wonder why I keep looking to the next 'step' or 'end result' or whatever you may call it, when all of those things above talk about something that takes time? Perseverance isn't short-lived... Long-suffering is named for the time it takes to execute.. The ultimate call on my life is to bring God glory, and to do that, I must become more like His son...and God molds us to be more like him in the 'process'... it's more about the process than it is about the goal.. since I'm in transition -- this makes me think of school (i finally graduate in December... ) now -- the goal is what I'm looking toward (graduation) but I can't help but think that if I didn't have *cough* 5.5 years *cough* of 'process' (learning/growing/falling on my face and getting back up/etc) then my degree would just be an expensive slip of paper... I want to seek Christ for the sole purpose of seeking Christ--growing in Him--not just pushing toward a goal and not using the time that it takes to get there to fall more in love with my Savior
So - I am embracing the 'process'... whatever that means... whatever life stage I may be in, I want to grow more like Christ and bring Him glory now... I want to embrace that His purpose is for me now... Whatever He has for me will come to pass, but when I think about His 'purpose' for me... I want to be continually molded, shaped, and 'prepared'..... and to let each moment be a moment that I may fulfill God's purpose for me -- may He be glorified.
