Sometimes we settle for works instead of grace. Other times we settle for walls. We try to escape God by building a life that has no need or room for Him. Maybe we immerse ourselves in our career. Maybe we invest ourselves in our children. Maybe we insulate ourselves with a comfortable life full of nice things and therefore "need" nothing. And yet grace is a force to be reckoned with. If we belong to Him, God will not be denied. That is what we will be thinking about in the week ahead and this coming Sabbath.
"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
Have you ever thought of grumbling or complaining as a "wall" that can keep others out? You may not have thought of it in that way, but if we stop to consider how we treat those who chronically gripe about their situation, chances are we go out of our way to avoid them. Their attitude effectively becomes a way of walling others out, even if that is not their intention. We can build a wall between us and God in that way as well, even if we do not intend to do so. We are called as His people to be marked by a spirit of thanksgiving. But if we are never satisfied, if we are not content, it is all too easy to grumble rather than show gratitude. In short, our attitude can function as a wall between us and the Lord. Attitude check! Praise the Lord!
"They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them." (Psalm 78:11)
Another wall we build between God and ourselves is forgetting (or never even noticing) the ways in which He has blessed us. The Israelites never seemed to remember the past--even the recent past--when it came to God. As soon as the next challenge came along they would begin to grumble that the Lord had abandoned them. Paying attention to God's blessings builds bridges, not walls, and allows us to connect with God as we go about our day. Look around you and see what the Lord is up to today, and then be sure to thank Him for blessing you and yours.
[Jesus] answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. (Matthew 15:24-28)
Here is a wall that, at first blush, Jesus himself erected. But it wasn't a wall at all; it was an invitation to demonstrate faith. Often we build our own walls because we are afraid to ask for what we need or are unwilling to exert the faith needed to receive an answer. We also create walls by asking for what we do not need, or with the wrong motives, and blame God when He says "no." (James 4:3). Those walls are removed by asking in faith for what we need, with the right motives, just as the Canaanite woman did. God will ALWAYS give us what He wants us to have (think faith, hope, or love...or any of the fruit of the Spirit). Be careful that you do not build walls by refusing to ask God for what you need or by asking Him for what you should not have, and then pushing Him away because you didn't get your way. Ask in faith, according to His will, and watch those walls fall down!
"...for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29)
There has been and continues to be a great deal of debate regarding God's plan for the Hebrew people. In Romans 11 Paul struggles with the heartbreak he feels regarding the rejection of the gospel by his fellow countrymen. But he sees hope in this fact: God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. They cannot be taken away, even when they are willfully rejected. Grace is a stubborn force. It will bide its time, waiting for an opening, and then exert its gentle power. In my own walk I pushed God away repeatedly. I built walls between myself and God. But grace tore down those walls, for God had chosen me for His own and God's gifts and call are irrevocable. The barriers I created, barriers of sin and shame and anger, were all taken away by God's grace, though I resisted. Are you attempting to thwart God's grace in some way today? Let Him tear down those walls and restore you to new life according to His gifts and call today.
Good Sabbath! At the end of the day, I think we settle for walls because we are disappointed in some way. Disappointed with God. Disappointed with other Christians. Disappointed with ourselves. But grace, given time, destroys disappointment by gently leading us to deal with it. If you or someone you know is disappointed and has built a wall to block out God, give it time as God deals with that disappointment with grace, mercy and love.
Sometimes we settle for works instead of grace. Other times we settle for walls. We try to escape God by building a life that has no need or room for Him. Maybe we immerse ourselves in our career. Maybe we invest ourselves in our children. Maybe we insulate ourselves with a comfortable life full of nice things and therefore "need" nothing. And yet grace is a force to be reckoned with. If we belong to Him, God will not be denied. That is what we will be thinking about in the week ahead and this coming Sabbath.
ReplyDelete"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
ReplyDeleteHave you ever thought of grumbling or complaining as a "wall" that can keep others out? You may not have thought of it in that way, but if we stop to consider how we treat those who chronically gripe about their situation, chances are we go out of our way to avoid them. Their attitude effectively becomes a way of walling others out, even if that is not their intention. We can build a wall between us and God in that way as well, even if we do not intend to do so. We are called as His people to be marked by a spirit of thanksgiving. But if we are never satisfied, if we are not content, it is all too easy to grumble rather than show gratitude. In short, our attitude can function as a wall between us and the Lord. Attitude check! Praise the Lord!
"They forgot what he had done,
ReplyDeletethe wonders he had shown them."
(Psalm 78:11)
Another wall we build between God and ourselves is forgetting (or never even noticing) the ways in which He has blessed us. The Israelites never seemed to remember the past--even the recent past--when it came to God. As soon as the next challenge came along they would begin to grumble that the Lord had abandoned them. Paying attention to God's blessings builds bridges, not walls, and allows us to connect with God as we go about our day. Look around you and see what the Lord is up to today, and then be sure to thank Him for blessing you and yours.
[Jesus] answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. (Matthew 15:24-28)
ReplyDeleteHere is a wall that, at first blush, Jesus himself erected. But it wasn't a wall at all; it was an invitation to demonstrate faith. Often we build our own walls because we are afraid to ask for what we need or are unwilling to exert the faith needed to receive an answer. We also create walls by asking for what we do not need, or with the wrong motives, and blame God when He says "no." (James 4:3). Those walls are removed by asking in faith for what we need, with the right motives, just as the Canaanite woman did. God will ALWAYS give us what He wants us to have (think faith, hope, or love...or any of the fruit of the Spirit). Be careful that you do not build walls by refusing to ask God for what you need or by asking Him for what you should not have, and then pushing Him away because you didn't get your way. Ask in faith, according to His will, and watch those walls fall down!
"...for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29)
ReplyDeleteThere has been and continues to be a great deal of debate regarding God's plan for the Hebrew people. In Romans 11 Paul struggles with the heartbreak he feels regarding the rejection of the gospel by his fellow countrymen. But he sees hope in this fact: God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. They cannot be taken away, even when they are willfully rejected. Grace is a stubborn force. It will bide its time, waiting for an opening, and then exert its gentle power. In my own walk I pushed God away repeatedly. I built walls between myself and God. But grace tore down those walls, for God had chosen me for His own and God's gifts and call are irrevocable. The barriers I created, barriers of sin and shame and anger, were all taken away by God's grace, though I resisted. Are you attempting to thwart God's grace in some way today? Let Him tear down those walls and restore you to new life according to His gifts and call today.
Good Sabbath! At the end of the day, I think we settle for walls because we are disappointed in some way. Disappointed with God. Disappointed with other Christians. Disappointed with ourselves. But grace, given time, destroys disappointment by gently leading us to deal with it. If you or someone you know is disappointed and has built a wall to block out God, give it time as God deals with that disappointment with grace, mercy and love.
ReplyDelete