Focal passage: Matthew 26:36-46
Since I was a young teenager, I have always enjoyed working on cars. As I look back on those years, some of the cars I owned would be worth a lot of money today.
I had a 1955 Chevrolet, a 1970 Camaro, a 1969 Volkswagen camper van with a pop-up top and several others. I loved those cars and thought someday I would work for a large car manufacturer designing engines.
In fact, I had enrolled at North Carolina State University pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, hoping to get a job with General Motors. Things were going well, but God began to shift my desires during the middle of the semester.
I was involved in my local church on the weekend and went to a Christian campus ministry during the week. Through those ministries, God began shaping my heart for full-time Christian ministry.
However, it was not an easy transition.
I remember feeling all alone. Even though I had the support of friends and family, no one could make the decision for me. It was in moments like those that I reflected on passages like Matthew 26:36-46 where Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s redemptive plan.
Jesus did not have to go to cross, but as He prayed He chose to yield His heart to the Father’s will and ultimately gave His life for you and me. Not that I would ever compare my decision to what Jesus went through, but His life of obeying the Father is a model for all believers to emulate. It is through Jesus’ example that believers are encouraged to willingly accept God’s direction and will for their lives.
Ultimately, after a lot of prayer, I decided to forego my dreams of working on cars and gave my life to full-time Christian ministry. Now, over 20 years later, I could not imagine doing anything else. Through that experience I have learned that God calls each of us to a particular work and the greatest thing we can do is yield our lives to His will and watch Him use us.