Battle of Wills: Giving of Yourself
Life is a battle of wills. Your will vs. your employer’s will. Your will vs. the will of your neighbors, friends, or family. Your will vs. the will of our Lord.
It doesn’t matter where you are in your walk, you as a person are in a constant struggle with the intentions of others. You’d like a raise, but your boss doesn’t see the value of your work. That’s a battle of wills. Maybe your loved ones are pulling you in different directions, wanting you to do this or that for them, but you’re not sure you want to commit to any of them? Also a battle of wills. You strive toward a goal, want to focus on completing a task, but the Lord says “no, now is not the time” and thus you have once again entered a battle of wills.
Amazingly, your answer should be the same in all these situations: submit to His will. Consult the Lord when undertaking any great task. Ask that He should guide you and steer you away from sin, tell Him what you want from life but nevertheless acknowledge that His will be done.
Let’s use one of the examples I’ve given. You asked your boss for a promotion or compensation, but he won’t give it to you. What should you do? Campaign against him? Whine? Give up? No, the answer is simple: ask Him who governs us all. There must always be a reason for the things we don’t receive in this life. Maybe getting that higher position or money will drive you into sin? Greed is an odorous parasite that can affect even the poorest among us. If God’s will is that you should remain where you are (or seek employment elsewhere), perhaps it so that you may grow in your spirituality and not become warped by the desires of the flesh?
The hardest lesson to learn in this life is that sometimes what we want is not the same as what we need. Millions of people want to be rich and famous, basking in the glow of their wealth. But, if they had such things, what good would it do them? Money doesn’t buy real love but a mere shadow of it called adoration. It’s a fleeting, dirty thing that wanes with each passing day.
I’m not saying that all desire to improve our lot in life is sinful. Many of us want to be successful not to glorify or to hoard it but because we want to make comfortable lives for our families. That is indeed a noble goal. I don’t think the Lord has a problem with anyone wishing to provide for their families. But it’s a slippery slope. At what point is success enough? Can you resist the urge to go higher, faster, and further in the world? Will you be content with high five-figures? Six figures? Millions?
At what point does a person with means and money put his foot down and say, “Okay, that’s enough. I should start giving back.”
It’s not an answer that can be found in a self-help book. It can’t be deduced from the works of a prosperity teacher. No, the answer to any question, and most especially with a struggle of wills, is always in the Word. Seek and ye shall find, you know?
Whatever your lot in life, regardless of what form your battle of wills takes, always remember that God’s will is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. By your means, give of yourself to the world that which glorifies His name. If you have money, donate what you can to the poor—not for your own pride, but for the sake of their living. If you have wisdom, share that with others—and hope that it doesn’t contradict the only true wisdom that is the Lord’s! If you have not an ounce of knowledge nor a penny to your name, give over that which the Lord has granted you—a good-natured sense of humor, love and appreciation of others, etc.
“Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning His disciples, He said to them, ‘I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 HCSB)
In this example, many rich people were tithing in great sums to show off their wealth and glorify themselves. But Jesus notes one little old widow with a few coins and says that she is the most charitable. Why? Because she gave what she had, everything she could spare.
The lesson to take away isn’t, I think, that we should give up everything we own (although we probably could and should if capable), but that one offering that seems meager to us is in fact equal in the eyes of the Lord. We are not measured by our level of success but by what we do with it.
Maybe you’re living in poverty and all you can afford to give to someone else is a kind smile and a conversation. That’s valuable in the Lord’s eyes. Maybe you’re not great with monetary charity, but you can preach the Good News so that it reaches eyes and ears across the world. That’s valuable in the Lord’s eyes.
The point I’m trying to make is this: while life is a battle of wills, it doesn’t have to be as simplistic as me vs. you or you vs. your boss or us vs. God. We are free to make our own decisions in life, but the success that matters isn’t in the form of money or admiration. It’s following God’s will, His plan, to be with and in Him, to walk in His steps to the best of your ability no matter where we fall in the metaphorical food chain.
“You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” (James 4:14-15)
Sorry for the late posting. Have a great day, thanks for reading, and God bless!
