God's Way - Not Our Way!!

From "Thy Kingdom Come" - February 2012 - a publication of The
Association of the Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada.


GOD'S WAY, NOT OUR WAY

By Holly Mills


"Seek ye the Lord while he maybe found, call ye upon him while he
is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, saith the Lord." (Isa.55:6-13)

When our Lord Jesus came to earth He came to save us from our sin
that we were allowing to destroy us. As the end of this Age draws
near and we have almost completely obliterated the name of Jesus,
we know that God's plan will prevail. "It is not our purpose to
discuss the probable reasons why God gave to man the freedom to
determine his own actions, but that He did so is abundantly
evident in history; and in so doing God is prepared, from the
beginning, to run the risk of being defied and disobeyed by each
successive generation until, at a time still future, man chooses
of his own volition to follow in the perfection of God's way."
"The Element of Risk" by Gladys Taylor, The National Message,
February 19, 1955.

The time of man's rule on this earth is coming to an end with the
return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign over His Kingdom on
earth in glory.

As the world continues to sink further and further into chaos we
will eventually realize that our ways are not working and that
God's way is the only way. Since the disobedience of Adam in the
Garden of Eden we have rebelled against God, always thinking that
somehow we know a better way than God. Through our own
foolishness we have made our lives much more difficult than they
needed to be. We would rather listen and follow anyone but God.
"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by
their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye
do in the end thereof?" (Jer.5:31) We would rather have
someone else speak words to us that we want to hear than read and
study the scriptures ourselves and follow God.

If we were left to our own devices it would certainly end in
disaster. History shows us though, that God can turn our mistakes
into His own plan and purpose. Our own sin should lead us to the
path of destruction but God has another way. When Israel went
into captivity she might have been destroved but God had other
plans for her. The prophet Amos says, "Behold, the eyes of the
Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it frorn
off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy
the house of Jacob, saith the Lord." (Amos 9:8) Although because
of our sin we deserve to be destroyed, God, through His mercy,
says that He will not totally destroy us. He will only punish us
so far before He saves us.

We have a wonderful patient Father who wants only the best for us
if we will only follow His ways and not our own. Our rebellion is
causing a huge rift in our relationship with God. He wants to
bring us back to Him. He wants us to follow His ways as that is
the only way that we will have peace and contentment.
"Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the
voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no
light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his
God" (Isa.50:10).

'In fierce storms,' said an old seaman, 'we can do but one thing,
there is only one way; we must put the ship in a certain position
and keep her there.'

This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you
can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you;
and then you can do but one thing; there is only one way. Reason
cannot help you. Past experiences give you no light. Even prayer
fetches no consolation. Only a single course is left. You must
put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay
upon the Lord; and, come what may - winds, waves, cross seas,
thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers - no matter
what, you must lash yourself to the helm, and hold fast your
confidence in God's faithfulness, His covenant engagement, His
everlasting love in Christ Jesus." - Richard Fuller, from
"Thoughts for the Quiet Hour."

We must turn ourselves over to God's way knowing that He will see
us through all that is coming on the earth in these end times.
..........