God is bigger than time, 
dates, and appointments.
He wants you to move
through this day with a quiet heart,
an inward assurance that
He is in control, a peaceful certainty
that your life is in His hands,
a deep trust in His plan and purposes,
and a thankful disposition,
toward all that He allows.
He wants you to put your faith in Him,
not in a timetable.
He wants you to wait on Him
and wait for Him.
In His perfect way He will put everything 
together, see to every detail…
arrange every circumstance…
and order every step to bring
to pass what He has for you.

Roy Lessin

Paul was very clear when he said that we are to serve God and God alone. For, “you were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23. He also writes: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10
Humility and submission go hand in hand.  God’s Word tells us that, as Christians, we are to submit to one another in lowliness of mind. “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” 1 Peter 5:5-6.

By being submissive and “clothing ourselves with humility” we can create peace and unity with the others. We are not to be so proud and high up that we can’t accept correction or exhortation. Neither should we be of the mindset that our own opinions and thoughts always are better than the others. Such thinking won’t lead us to any progress or unity in Christ.

At the same time, being submissive and humble does not mean in any way, shape or form that we are to bow down to other people. Paul was very clear when he said that we are to serve God and God alone. For, “you were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23. He also writes: “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10.

While it is important to be submissive: to accept correction and remain lowly in our own eyes, as Christians, we are to seek to please God with our lives. We need to fear Him and keep His word. This should be our focus: to humble ourselves under God’s will and live and breathe to keep His commands, not to try to meet human demands and expectations.

And when you learn, over the course of your life, that it’s not about pleasing God, it’s about learning how to trust God. That’s a huge watershed, because trust is a whole different ballgame than appeasement or pleasing.

William P. Young

DAILY DEVOTION