Responsibility, Trials and Safety
I'm digging in more to "Be Authentic". I'm not going as fast as I had anticipated, but I am learning a lot...or at the very least, gleaning some comfort and knowledge from my quest.
The first chapter of Be Authentic starts out looking at Isaac, and his life. Wiersbe discusses the contention between Isaac's sons, and makes note that even though God was determined to bless Isaac's family, that didn't mean they were free to do as they wanted. "In fact, knowing that we're the chosen of God means we have a greater responsibility to do His will."
Wow...how often do we, as Christians, spend our lives coasting spiritually? After all, we're saved, right? We can sin all we want, but we still go to Heaven, right?
I believe that God wants an active relationship with each of us. I know in my own walk that I tend to use God as the Big Red Button, but otherwise I'll do things my own way (bit of a control streak there, I'm afraid). It occurs to me that I wouldn't need God as a Big Red Button if I'd spend more time doing His will.
We will have trials. We are promised that. Wiersbe makes an interesting statement, regarding the safest place to be.
"The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for the will of God will never lead us where His grace can't provide for us. Unbelief asks "How can I get out of this," while faith asks, "What can I get out of this?"
Reading that statement reminds me of a time when my wife suggested that when we prayed before dinner, each of us would have to think of one thing to thank God for. We stopped doing that a long time ago, and I wish we hadn't.
James counsels believers to count it as joy when in the middle of trials. That would strike the average person as counter-intuitive. "I'm suffering the worst thing in the world, and you want me to count it as happiness?!?"
Of course, James goes further to say that we should do that because we know the end is a refining of our faith and patience.
Thinking about this some, I think there's another good reason as well. By focusing not just on the end result of our trials (spiritually), I think that focusing on the blessings you do have will help you to keep perspective. To realize that God has not abandoned you, and will not.
To go back to yesterday's example of God's perfect timing, even though I desperately wanted a new job, there were many blessings that I had (and took for granted). The number one blessing was being with my family, under the same roof. I was so focused on (not) getting a new job that I completely ignored the many good things in my life.
At the very least, it puts a different perspective on things when you hit a rough patch in life and actively look to see what you can learn from it. Not an easy task by any means, but a worthy one. Kind of goes hand-in-hand with dealing with only those things that you can change (usually yourself), and leaving the rest in God's capable hands.
This really brings home to me what's been on my mind the last couple of weeks. I have, in the end, only one responsibility. To do God's will.
The safest place to be is in God's will.
And the only way to follow God's will is to wholly surrender yourself to Him. Something that I have struggled with for a very long time, and I doubt I'll conquer it anytime soon.
I want to be authentic. I want safety. Kind of convenient that one act can get me both, eh?
The first chapter of Be Authentic starts out looking at Isaac, and his life. Wiersbe discusses the contention between Isaac's sons, and makes note that even though God was determined to bless Isaac's family, that didn't mean they were free to do as they wanted. "In fact, knowing that we're the chosen of God means we have a greater responsibility to do His will."
Wow...how often do we, as Christians, spend our lives coasting spiritually? After all, we're saved, right? We can sin all we want, but we still go to Heaven, right?
I believe that God wants an active relationship with each of us. I know in my own walk that I tend to use God as the Big Red Button, but otherwise I'll do things my own way (bit of a control streak there, I'm afraid). It occurs to me that I wouldn't need God as a Big Red Button if I'd spend more time doing His will.
We will have trials. We are promised that. Wiersbe makes an interesting statement, regarding the safest place to be.
"The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for the will of God will never lead us where His grace can't provide for us. Unbelief asks "How can I get out of this," while faith asks, "What can I get out of this?"
Reading that statement reminds me of a time when my wife suggested that when we prayed before dinner, each of us would have to think of one thing to thank God for. We stopped doing that a long time ago, and I wish we hadn't.
James counsels believers to count it as joy when in the middle of trials. That would strike the average person as counter-intuitive. "I'm suffering the worst thing in the world, and you want me to count it as happiness?!?"
Of course, James goes further to say that we should do that because we know the end is a refining of our faith and patience.
Thinking about this some, I think there's another good reason as well. By focusing not just on the end result of our trials (spiritually), I think that focusing on the blessings you do have will help you to keep perspective. To realize that God has not abandoned you, and will not.
To go back to yesterday's example of God's perfect timing, even though I desperately wanted a new job, there were many blessings that I had (and took for granted). The number one blessing was being with my family, under the same roof. I was so focused on (not) getting a new job that I completely ignored the many good things in my life.
At the very least, it puts a different perspective on things when you hit a rough patch in life and actively look to see what you can learn from it. Not an easy task by any means, but a worthy one. Kind of goes hand-in-hand with dealing with only those things that you can change (usually yourself), and leaving the rest in God's capable hands.
This really brings home to me what's been on my mind the last couple of weeks. I have, in the end, only one responsibility. To do God's will.
The safest place to be is in God's will.
And the only way to follow God's will is to wholly surrender yourself to Him. Something that I have struggled with for a very long time, and I doubt I'll conquer it anytime soon.
I want to be authentic. I want safety. Kind of convenient that one act can get me both, eh?
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