Giving God 100 Percent: Part 2

This week I am talking about giving God our best, and those times when we give Him less.

A little over three years ago, God burdened my heart for people who did not know Jesus. During the span of about three hours late one night, God burned a passion in my heart to see people give their lives to Him.

For a time, my heart's desire was to fulfill that vision. But, over time I allowed my own agenda to over take God's agenda. I no longer was giving Him 100-percent of what He wanted.

And, as I drifted into more and more of my own plan, I became consumed with doing it my way. But, the Sinatra philosophy doesn't cut it with God. His plan is perfect. It cannot fail. Our imperfect plans may succeed, or they may crash and burn. I crashed, and I burned.

For a time, all seemed to be going well, but as I believed more and more in my own vision, I also put on a set of blinders that prevented me from seeing what my plan was doing to those around me. For instance, my plan didn't sit well with my wife. I think she knew deep down that my plan may not have been entirely God's plan.

My tunnel vision prevented me from seeing the warning signs that were popping up all around me. My ego didn't want to take that hit. Eventually, though, I had to come face to face with the reality that my plan wasn't working...and that it really was my plan, not God's. I also had to realize that ideas such as church planting, changing churches to get ordained, and even my ordination were 100-percent my plan, and may not have been entirely God's plans for me.

As I look back, I know the exact moment I wavered. It was when I left my church to go to another, because I could get speaking opportunities and eventually ordained. In my gut, I believe God was telling me to stay put, but I reasoned it away.

That's not to say that I haven't met some wonderful people, or had some wonderful opportunities to preach. It's also not meaning that God hasn't used my abilities in these "misguided" areas. But, I realize now that I was probably not doing what God had wanted.

I'm reminded of Joseph from the book of Genesis. This young man thought he had it all figured out, or at least going for him. He was Dad's favorite, and God seemed to be sharing some neat things with him, too. But, Joseph let his pride and arrogance cloud his vision. He couldn't see that the way he was acting around his brothers would lead to destruction.

What's cool about Joseph's story is that he learned his lesson. God humbled him, and trained him for what he was really called to do. And, in Genesis 50, we get the great line, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good."

For me, at this moment, I'm learning what God really wants from me and for me. It's time to give Jesus my 100-percent.