“When a soldier bows to his general, or a scholar to his teacher, he is yielding his will—his life—he gives himself to the rule and mastery and the power of another. Christ did that. He said He came not to do His own will but to do His Father’s will. In Gethsemane He said, ‘Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will’ (Mark 14:36). On the cross He suffered what had been settled in Gethsemane. He yielded His life to God and thereby taught us that the only thing worth living for is a life yielded to God, even unto death. If you are controlling your life and spending it on yourself, even partly, you are abusing it and taking it away from God’s original purpose. Learn from Christ that the beauty and purpose of having life is so that you can surrender it to God and then allow Him to fill it with His glory” (Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender [Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2003], 45).
We cannot pursue both God’s will and our own independent will. We have to empty ourselves of one in order to fully embrace the other. When our hearts are surrendered and trusting God, our desires will align with God’s and our joy will be made full!
