Are you willing to be inconvenienced for God?

Melanie, over at Fruits of the Spirit, has written a post about being willing to be inconvenienced for God. I would encourage you to stop by and read it, it has really made me think and examine my willingness or unwillingness to do what God calls me to do when I feel I do not have time to do it.

I tend to be selfish with my time, my schedule, and my agenda. I am a list maker, I am organized, and I like to consider myself productive. But sometimes God, the creator of everything, has different plans for me than what is on my "to do list". Imagine that, the God of this universe wants me to take time away from "my plans" to do something that He has planned for me. He wants me to take part in His bigger plan!

I am sad to share that sometimes I choose my plans over His... Why do I do this? I know that the times that I have chosen His plans over mine, I have been so fulfilled and energized because I have participated in what God called me to do. And you know what else, all those things that I thought would not get done if I did what God was calling me to do, somehow got done. God always provides, and He always gives us time to do all that He has planned for us.

So why do I often choose not to be inconvenienced for my God. I am inconvenienced for my family all the time without it really bothering me. I cook for my family when I get to have a night out and don't have to cook for myself, I wake up in the night when my children need me, I bathe my children 2 or more times a day because they get so dirty playing outside (not everyday now!), I do things to help my husband even when I don't always want to because he needs me to, and on and on. I do these things out of my love for them.

So why is it hard to put down my plans and follow what God is calling me to do? I say I love God more than I love my family. Sometimes it is the uncertainty, sometimes it is pride, sometimes the fear of man, sometimes it is feeling unequipped or unprepared, sometimes I am just tired, and sometimes I just want to do what I want to do (I get that from my kids:)).

Thinking about this reminds me of something I heard Beth Moore teach about at a conference last year. She spoke about what drives us... do the comforts of this world drive us, or are we driven by the love of Christ? After that conference I really began praying for God to reveal to me where in my life I was driven by comfort rather than the love of Christ. God opened my eyes, and he gave me boldness to step out and do what He was calling me to do; and when I did what He was calling me to do, I had overwhelming joy, a lasting peace, newfound strength, and encouragement.

Somewhere along the way these past few months I have forgotten to continue to ask God to show me what is driving me. So I am going to start asking Him that again. I plan to consciously choose to be more inconvenienced for God and to be driven by the love of Christ rather than the comforts of this world and the things that are just convenient for me to do.

Father God, Please reveal to me the motives in my heart, whether I am driven by the love of Christ or by what is comfortable to me. Please alert me through your Holy Spirit and through Your Word when I am allowing "the comfortable" to drive me rather than the love of Christ. Give me the desire, the energy, and the strength to be willing to be inconvenienced for You, to take part in Your plans, and to share the awesome love of Christ with others. Thank You, that You, the God of the universe, even considers having me come alongside You in Your Kingdom work! What an awesome privilege! In Jesus name, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:13-15 "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."