Who is in charge of your life?

That was the final question asked by Charles Stanley this morning. The question dovetails nicely in with the message delivered by Richard Moskos in church on Sunday.

God has been dealing with me of late as I've been struggling with the "me" "mine" "my" syndrome. Let's look at the scripture Richard shared and I'll share with you the questions the Holy Spirit asked me. I won't share any answers. Those are between you and God.

Acts 20:22-24 ²²"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

"consider my life worth nothing."

• How does that fit into "my rights", "my time"and "my wants"?
• How much to I value "my life"?

"if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me."

• How does that fit in with "my plan" and "my schedule"?

"the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

• How often do I testify?
• Do I even think of spreading the gospel day to day?

Phil 3:7-11

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

• What is "my profit"?
• What possition does it hold in "my life"?
• Does it compare with Christ?
• Have it become more important than Christ?

I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him,

• Rubbish? Really? But I've got some pretty nice stuff.
• Does it really fulfill me?
• Am I content?

not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

• Righteousness not of my own.
• Faith.
• This is when I truly am content. This is where I find true fulfillment.

¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

• Am I willing to suffer?
• Am I willing to give up "my rights", "my time"and "my wants"?

Galations 5:13-17

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

• What have I done with the freedom Christ has given me?
• Do I serve where I've been called to serve?

¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

• Do I love my neighbor?
• Do I make every effort to live in peace with them? Hebrews 12:14-15

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

• Do I live in the Spirit or in the flesh?
• Do I even care?

I hope the lessons God is teaching me have been of some benefit to you.