And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. (Matthew 20:23)

One of the greatest truths that can be learned by a human being is, God has planned everything from the beginning. God has prepared a place for each of us in His glorious Kingdom. After His work was finished, God rested.

Our task in life is to enter that rest, into that which has been finished from the beginning. We are to press into Christ until we come to the place prepared for us from the beginning of the world.

The concept that the only responsibility of an individual is to attain what already has been prepared for him, to grasp only that for which he has been grasped, sounds too easy, too good to be true. Nevertheless it is the case.

It is so difficult to surrender our entire personality and behavior to the will of God in Christ! Everything in us and in our environment protests that there is more to life than just allowing God to have His way with us. How blessed is the individual who comes to terms with the fact that God knows what He wants him to do, where He wants him to be, what He wants him to become and to achieve, and will bring all this about if the person is obedient to God.

The only real issue in all life is that of faith in God. Do we believe God knows the details of our life, that He has a plan for us, that He desires our joy and peace, that He does not sleep, that He cares whether or not we succeed?

Few human beings, it appears, ever arrive at a simple faith in God. We spend our entire lifetime "leaping" like the high hills of Psalms 68 in an effort to provide for our security, or to obtain joy, or to accomplish something, or to fulfill our expectations for ourselves or the expectations of others for us.

Our whole life is one long strain because we do not trust God. Eve did not trust that God knew what was best for her and desired what was best for her. She stretched forth her hand to obtain what she deemed desirable. The result was the same for her as for all creatures who do not rest in God—disaster.

To trust in God is so simple and straightforward, so blessed, so fruitful. Yet, how many of us are willing even to attempt to trust God and do His will?

We are not suggesting a passive attitude toward God and His will for us. We must present our body a living sacrifice to God if we hope to prove His will for our life. Presenting our body a living sacrifice requires all the faith and diligence any individual can apply to it.

To be continued.