I get excited when the 6 am prayer meeting becomes a place to meet new people! We had a guy from a church in Rolling Meadows and a few others that I haven't met before at prayer this morning. There's a closeness that you have with someone after pouring your heart out to God together. It's a sweet experience.

A prayer that resounded this morning and is continuing to capturing my attention focused on Jesus' prayer "Not my will but thine be done." The Church father Maximus the Confessor was tortured and abused for asserting that Jesus had both a human and a divine will. He based much of his understanding around this passage. He believed that Christ Jesus gave us the example for submitting our will to the Father's. Paul also implores his churches to "imitate me as I imitate Christ."

We live in an age where the best decision is "doing what is right for you". You can't do much better than making your own decision. But the Christian path denies this quest to assert our own will. We crucify our own desires; we submit our will to Christ's will, even as he submitted himself wholly to the Father.

It is only by having our will submitted to Christ's that we can develop hearts of true love for our neighbor. This transformation of the will is synonymous with seeking the kingdom. Seek first the face of God, the kingdom of God, the Will of Christ, and all these things will be added unto you. As we submit ourselves to his perfect tutelage he will perfect our hearts in love.

 

Seek His Face Always