Do I need the weightiness of God in my life?
In a word, yes. Why?
My life doesn’t measure up to God’s word.
Luke 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
All too often, I value myself and what I want way above where I honor God and others.
I remember one experience, now several years ago, during a time when I had employees. I worked as a manager in a high-energy, dynamic, customer-driven environment. One day, in the busyness of trying to make sure that I looked good by servicing customers, I valued my pride more than one of my employees.
It was busy, I was rushing, and I became frustrated with one of the men who worked for me. A very gracious, eloquent man who had been a bank manager and an accountant, now working in customer service. I brushed past him to accomplish my goal.
In that moment, my pride was broken as I realized that I had put my pride and goals above my value of him. God, in his grace, restored that relationship and used it to teach me a valuable lesson and bringing my attitude and actions in line with his Word.
I can’t change myself.
Often I see people who prefer to hold on to pet doctrines or presuppositions or prejudices and impose their will on the Word (or its interpretation and application). Holding on to the Word in such a way that they try to make it submit their collective will.
I prefer to approach the Word allowing it, as best I can, to impose the will of God in my life. To allow it to rest on me, to weigh me down, to fit me into its (his) mold rather than holding on to it.
My reasoning is simple: I, being mortal, lack the ability to know and understand the mind, will, and counsel of God except that it be revealed to me by the Holy Spirit. So I come to the Word hoping to learn from and commune with the Trinity. To be formed by them. To be transformed into the image of the risen Christ from glory to glory by the power of the Spirit.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
This has been God’s M.O. in my life:
Oops..that’s for next time…
