Quit struggling with God
Quit struggling with God
Isaiah 45:9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
Many people are living their lives in a tussle with God. They are constantly rebuffing His loving outstretched arms which can deliver them from their laborious adventures. This is a sad reality among men and women of this generation who think their inherent freedom of choice poses no repercussions. Since man disobeyed and fell in Eden, he has remained in darkness and passed the curse of sin to all- Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. But God magnanimously provided a substitutionary sacrifice to bring down the “middle wall of partition” and reconcile man to Himself. Despite this loving gesture, many people have remained recalcitrant of the gift of salvation and keep wallowing in their sullen state of godlessness.
Another area of struggle is in the acceptance and keeping of God’s revealed will. This is quite common among believers, nay, and sometimes among highly revered leaders. A good Biblical example was the Apostle Peter in Acts 10:9-16. He mentioned in verse 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. This man identified the person of the Lord but rejected His command, what an irony! Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? We must be careful while doing the work of the Master, so we don’t find ourselves exerting our fleshly dominance to eliminate the revealed principles of grace to the discontent of the Lord. It will certainly result in divine reproof and if left unchecked, graduates to a banishment from eternity with Christ- Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The Lord expects absolute obedience from His chosen ones and deals with us according to the level of our accurate responsiveness and faithfulness to His words- Galatians 1:15-16 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. It is not the quantity or the gloriousness of our work that matters to God, rather, it is the condition of our heart when we receive His demands, the quality of our steadfast abiding in the assigned post, and our total commitment to His work that counts- Matthew 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Meditation
1. The path that I have trod,
Has brought me nearer God,
Though oft it led through sorrow’s gates .
Though not the way I choose,
In my way I might lose
The joy that yet for me awaits
Not what I wish to be,
Nor where I wish to go,
For who am I that I should choose my way?
The Lord shall choose for me,
‘Tis better far, I know,
So let him bid me go, or stay
2. The cross that I must bear,
If I a crown would wear,
Is not the cross that I should take;
But since on me ’tis laid,
I’ll take it unafraid,
And bear it for the Master’s sake.
Not what I wish to be,
Nor where I wish to go,
For who am I that I should choose my way?
The Lord shall choose for me,
‘Tis better far, I know,
So let him bid me go, or stay
3. Submission to the will
Of him who guides me still
Is surety of His love revealed;
My soul shall rise above
This world in which I move,
I conquer only when I yield.
Not what I wish to be,
Nor where I wish to go,
For who am I that I should choose my way?
The Lord shall choose for me,
‘Tis better far, I know,
So let him bid me go, or stay
