Have you ever gone to get some specific name brand something at the grocery store and find that they had “improved” it and yuck it just isn’t what you want at all? They ruined it!
There is someone near and dear to me who will often ask me what I want. I will tell him and he will go and second guess me and get me something “better”, something I do not want at all.
One time he asked me what color I wanted and I said offhandedly, “anything but red”. Now quite honestly I do not know why I said that, red is not a bad color. But I did, and yes he came home with red. Every single time I looked at that red object, I got upset. I know, I know it was childish of me, but I did.
Do you know why I was upset? Was red really that awful, that offensive to me? Not at all. If he had not asked what color I wanted it would have been no problem. It is just that seeing “red” reminded me that he totally disregarded my stated preferences he had asked for (in fact he did what I asked him not to do)
I have to admit that I overreacted for it was a trigger telling me that my opinion didn’t mean much to him. But like always, GOD used it for good to show me I was holding on to some grudges I needed to let go of.
I have been struck while reading in Ezekiel that over and over and over again there is the phrase, “..then they will know that I am the LORD”. (The word LORD means master, the one in control.) Seems like HE wants them to know HIS opinion is important.
Now in the last verses of Mark 1 we see a leper going to JESUS falling down on his knees before HIM and begging JESUS to heal him, saying, “If YOU are willing, YOU can make me clean.” JESUS response was pure compassion, HE reached out and touched this man with a contagious disease saying,, “I am willing,” and immediately the leper was healed.
Then JESUS sternly warned him, “Don't talk about this to anyone but instead go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
But, instead of accepting the assignment JESUS gave him to testify to a specific group in a specific way, he totally disregarded what JESUS said and did what JESUS told him not to do. He spread the news everywhere and actually caused problems for JESUS.
Do we accept the assignments HE gives (to write that letter, forgive that enemy, say that word) or spurning them as not important, turn away and go seek to do something bigger & better for JESUS?
Listen to JESUS in Luke 6:46
“Why do you call ME LORD, LORD, and do not do the things I say?”
There is someone near and dear to me who will often ask me what I want. I will tell him and he will go and second guess me and get me something “better”, something I do not want at all.
One time he asked me what color I wanted and I said offhandedly, “anything but red”. Now quite honestly I do not know why I said that, red is not a bad color. But I did, and yes he came home with red. Every single time I looked at that red object, I got upset. I know, I know it was childish of me, but I did.
Do you know why I was upset? Was red really that awful, that offensive to me? Not at all. If he had not asked what color I wanted it would have been no problem. It is just that seeing “red” reminded me that he totally disregarded my stated preferences he had asked for (in fact he did what I asked him not to do)
I have to admit that I overreacted for it was a trigger telling me that my opinion didn’t mean much to him. But like always, GOD used it for good to show me I was holding on to some grudges I needed to let go of.
I have been struck while reading in Ezekiel that over and over and over again there is the phrase, “..then they will know that I am the LORD”. (The word LORD means master, the one in control.) Seems like HE wants them to know HIS opinion is important.
Now in the last verses of Mark 1 we see a leper going to JESUS falling down on his knees before HIM and begging JESUS to heal him, saying, “If YOU are willing, YOU can make me clean.” JESUS response was pure compassion, HE reached out and touched this man with a contagious disease saying,, “I am willing,” and immediately the leper was healed.
Then JESUS sternly warned him, “Don't talk about this to anyone but instead go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”
But, instead of accepting the assignment JESUS gave him to testify to a specific group in a specific way, he totally disregarded what JESUS said and did what JESUS told him not to do. He spread the news everywhere and actually caused problems for JESUS.
Do we accept the assignments HE gives (to write that letter, forgive that enemy, say that word) or spurning them as not important, turn away and go seek to do something bigger & better for JESUS?
Listen to JESUS in Luke 6:46
“Why do you call ME LORD, LORD, and do not do the things I say?”
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