Adjust Your Sails

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:18-21 ESV). Someone sent me an email recently with a quote from a pastor (name withheld intentionally) of a very large church. He said, “Do all you can to make your dreams come true. Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life. God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.” They asked me what I thought. So, here are a few of my “thoughts.” Remember, before you rip off an email telling me how wrong I am, all opinions are like noses; you don’t want mine and I don’t want yours. First, there is some truth mixed in with the falsehood in this quote. Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is important in determining how we act. However, that is not the only determining factor. Without a relationship to God through Christ, all the positive thinking and gratitude possible will not bring peace and joy into our lives. Only Christ can do that. Second, God does want us to prosper. But money does not indicate the fulfillment of our destiny. Our destiny is an eternal relationship in life with Christ. That’s God’s desire for us. How much, or how little money we possess has nothing to do with that. The reality is that you can live a prosperous life in the will of God and still face fierce personal conflict and adversity. Paul went through a shipwreck on his way to Rome, but he had a prosperous journey by the will of God because of what it ultimately accomplished. Facing storms and shipwrecks in our lives really isn't a matter of if; it is a matter of when. Rather than trying to avoid the storms of life, we need to learn how to get through them, how to survive them, and how to learn the lessons that we can only learn in such times and such places. It has been said that you can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails. In other words, I can't control all the elements of my world, or even very many of them. But I can control my reaction to them. I can adjust my sails and adapt. When the trials and challenges of life present themselves to me, I can look to the One who has promised to finish the work He has begun in me. He will work all things for good in my life. Regardless of how bad it seems, God can and will make it good. This good is not just for others; it is for me also. Adjust your sails. It’s a lot easier than fighting the wind.