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January 11, 2008

Don't Settle For Less Than God's Best

by Shana Schutte

When I was a teacher, one of my co-workers posted a quote on his classroom wall: "The moment you settle for less than what you wanted is the moment you get more than you bargained for." At the time, an opportunity to "settle" had been presented to me and the quote reminded me that God had a better way.

In John 10:10, Scripture says that Satan's plan for our lives is to "steal, kill and destroy." One way he accomplishes these things is by convincing us to settle for less than God's best. He causes us to doubt that God will provide for our deepest desires; and he convinces us that we must our desires fulfilled right now.

From there, Satan will present an alternative to God's plan that can look either perfect or almost perfect. Like the "almost-perfect" job, man, house, friendship, marriage or woman. Sure, we might reason, it's not exactly right, but it's pretty darn good. And, it's definitely better than nothing. Unfortunately, when thoughts like these creep in, we can be certain that farther down the road of life that we'll get "more than we bargained for."

So, what's the answer for not giving in to the enticements of our Enemy? First, we need to be able to recognize when our Adversary is presenting us with an opportunity that is not God's choice for us. We can do this by staying close to God in prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit. Secondly, we need to submit ourselves to God and wait in faith. And lastly, we need to remember that God will make good on His promise to meet all of our needs. In the end, rather than getting "more than we bargained for," we'll get more than we imagined.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (Romans 5:8)

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