Day #11
Larry Trotter
Words of Love
24 But they did not listen or pay attention;
instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They
went backward and not forward.
Jeremiah 7:24 NIV
57 As
they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you
wherever you go.” 58 Jesus
replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place
to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-58 NIV
Overcoming the Barrier
Both of our
daughters seemed to embrace independence early on. When Lauren, the older,
learned to tie her shoes she wanted to tie them every time, which was great,
unless we were in a hurry. And of course, if you tried to help, her emerging self
will protested vigorously. When our younger daughter Christie was two or so she
learned to do buttons. Again, it’s precious to watch them work on those fine
motor skills, until you’re late for church and you try to intervene. I’ll never
forget one particular Sunday morning when her mom tried to take over button
duty when it looked like we night not be ready until the following Sunday. When
Lynn reached down to finish the buttons Christie cried, “Do self! Do self!” We
laugh about it, now, and still use that line when someone tries to help us. But
the fact is, nobody likes to have their will usurped. As Freddie Mercury sang,
“I want it all and I want it, now!”
The People of
Israel to whom Jeremiah prophesied from around 626 B.C. to 585 B.C. wanted to
continue doing things their way on their timetable and were unresponsive to
God’s appeals through the prophet to turn back to him to secure their future. However, their stubborn resolve to their own self will caused them to stop making progress as God's people But
God sees the bigger picture and knows what’s best though it may not be apparent
to those trying to follow. This is at the heart of Jesus’ strong words to
would-be followers in Luke 9. He was pointing out that to follow meant giving
up control over our life, our comforts and conveniences. We can’t follow Jesus
from a position of “do self.” It needs to be “You do it, Jesus.” That doesn’t
mean Jesus has no appreciation for or gifts and skills or our responsibilities.
He just knows that if we can’t give up control, if we can’t submit our will to
his, there will be trouble down the road when the demands of discipleship
increase. Our self or will, if that helps with understanding, is part of what
makes us unique. However, when our “do self” won’t yield to “You do it, Jesus”
it becomes a barrier to the power beyond us and critical divine timing that
allows us to do infinitely more than we could ever do on our own.
Prayer
God of patience please bear with me when I
want my way and I want it now. Teach me to submit to your will and be patient
while things unfold. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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