How We Could Live
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to God, the Father and live! ………because He disciplines us for our benefit so that we might be partakers of His Holiness.” Hebrews 12:9-10
In a recent daily devotion, Dr. Charles Stanley spelled out very clearly four stumbling blocks we often fall victim to as we try our best to follow God.
Our doubt can cause us to really question whether BIG God can truly be interested in the daily details (of) our lives. We can fall victim to wondering where and even if we fit in. But we should try to overcome our doubts by simply trusting in Christ and his promises.
When we are too busy it is easy to forget to include God in our plans and thinking, causing us to drift away from what God wants for us. Martin Luther once said that he had so much to do, that he felt compelled to take time out to pray. Then he achieved so much more.
When we think about what God might want us to do, we can become victims to fear thinking we might not be up to the task. Or, we might fear that what God wants for us might not be what we were planning. But we should remember that we have His Holy Spirit and that God has not given us a spirit of fear.
Willful disobedience. Sometimes we know, or sense what is right, but go ahead and do the thing we shouldn’t. (Remember Paul wondering why we do the thing we don’t want to, and don’t do the things we do want to? Romans 7;15). Paul acknowledged the human predicament and then gave us the solution - dependence on Christ: “I thank God through Jesus Christ ……..and I serve the law of God.”
The Good News is that God knows we will face these stumbling blocks. And the Good News is that God loves us whether we get tripped up or not. How much joy have we missed because we let the blocks get in our way? That is a hard question to answer. But, we can rest knowing that God loves us even still, and will always be there when we find our way around, or over, or through the obstacles that keep our eyes, our hearts and hands and feet from going where God is leading. God’s love is for us, and will drive out any fear, giving us the victory. He has amazing plans for us. We need only trust and believe!
- Ellen Rendle