John 12:20-36…
Value the vision…
Jesus teaches us that to die to self and to serve Him will bring honor from God the Father, and spiritual light will be the result. Walking in this light will increase our fruitfulness, and it will lead us down the path of finding our satisfaction in God and His plan.
We say that we believe this, but then we ask, “Why is it so hard?”
The truth is we don’t fully submit and so we see the obstacles to faith not the object of it. Sometimes we see Jesus as our all in all in general terms, but something else looms larger in the moment. We stop walking and the light grows dim, we can’t see where we are going, and we fail to move from fear.
For some it is simply a struggle with submission itself. For them spiritual vision is mostly an idea. Jesus really isn’t in focus day by day, and He is just turned to when everything else is closing in on them. Many people want just enough God to get out of trouble, but only so as to try it their way once again. The problem with this is that if you get out of trouble, but you don’t get into truth, you will get back into trouble again. Your way won’t work, and you have to see that submission to God is the way into true fulfillment for you.
This is the true problem; people don’t believe God will do right by them, as far as they measure such things. They feel and live as if their ultimate good must also include their temporal satisfaction. They may indeed let God define a good ending but they define a good life.
The way to spiritual vision is the same in every avenue of life. You must follow Christ to the Cross by faith. There is no side road to salvation, or deliverance. If you want the power of God, if you want to learn to value the vision, to see how good God really is, you must go down Repentance Road, and make sure you stop at Submission Street. If you don’t, believe me, you will have made a wrong turn.
10 comments:
How can one believe that God will do right by them, if problems still exists, with being faithful and walking in the light? To be in total submission to God, but still see problems and trouble, is something hard to understand.
That is exactly making the point; your definition of what is right is WRONG.
This is what the post pointed to:
They feel and live as if their ultimate good must also include their temporal satisfaction. They may indeed let God define a good ending but they define a good life.
You have to submit to death, and that doesn't mean a martyrdom in the flesh, as in physical death, but martyrdom of the flesh, as in a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).
You don't always get to have what you want, even if they are godly things. What's more, you may even have to go through times where you lose thigns that are right, even if the other person has done what is wrong.
Sometimes, death to self means your relationships with others may suffer.
It also means that others may not be able to get what they need from you.
I also doubt someone who says they are totally submitted to God yet questions the rigthness of God in the way your comment suggests.
Sorry if that seems like coming on too strong, but your comment is typical of exactly the kind of thing I am talking about.
People think they are submitted but they are not. When they are tested they fail to trust.
And really trusting doesn't mean everything will then go right. EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE!
Some may ask, "Why serve God then, if it isn't going to help?"
Answer: because He is God!
Answer: He knows better than you do about what it is that you really need.
Answer: because even when we don't see His hand, we can trust His heart.
Answer: look at the Cross of Christ.
Well stated!
P.
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