Jesus left His throne in the Heavens, came to Earth as a humble and completely dependent baby, grew to be mocked, slandered, rejected, beaten, tortured, and slaughtered as a common criminal for me. All that to pay the price for my filthy sin that I might be forgiven and counted as righteous and holy so that I could be reconciled and reunited with my Father. One would think that this realization would be sufficient for believers to therefore trust Him with all other matters. If the sinless Christ was willing to be crucified on my behalf, lose His life that I might gain mine, then why do we doubt His ability, desire, and willingness to accomplish anything less than awesome on our behalf and the behalf of our loved ones? If His plans were so perfect as to satisfy the wrath of God, could he not satisfy us in our needs? With this knowledge, shouldn't His plan(s) for my life be trustworthy enough that I obey without question? Instead, we tend to offer Him other options that won't "require" as much out of us. We forget who He is and come to Him with our "perfect" plan. We're not willing to trust the same power that raised Christ from the dead, to raise us above our circumstances. We consider the outcomes of His plan for us in light of our abilities, not His. When He directs us forward, we tend to look back on the past and are not completely willing to let things go. We question the fullness of His forgiveness and refuse to walk in the freedom of it. Rather, we cling to the guilt of our past choices, the grief of past loss, and the fruitless, destructive, fleeting thrills that sin once offered.
When taking a look at the life of Lot, we see a prime example over and over again of how being wise in our own eyes accomplishes very little. We see that if we would just yield to God's plan at each crossroad we approach, the grievances we experience might be far less than we expect. On the flip side, when we choose our alternative paths, there's consequences that we may not be expecting. One example in the life of Lot is as as follows.
In response to the great sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, God sends two angels to destroy the cities. Lot and his family are warned of the impending destruction and given the opportunity to flee for their lives. In Genesis 19:15, we begin to read, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. When he(Lot) hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away?" Clear instruction is given, but Lot argues the point and asks for an alternate plan, one that would not require as much effort for him. Through the eyes of his own ability, he requests that they escape to Zoar, a small nearby city, instead of to the mountain tops, because he is worried the disaster will over take him. "But Lot said to them, 'No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. Look here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it- it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared.'
After having seen these two men who are angels accurately predict the coming destruction of the cities and save Lot and his family, Lot has the audacity to basically say "Hey, how about we do it this way instead. It would be easier on me." The name "Zoar" means insignificant. Isn't that interesting? God wanted to bring Lot to the mountain tops. Lot insisted on settling in a place of insignificance for the sake of his comfort. This place of Zoar was still in sight of Sodom and Gomorrah, which left plenty of room for temptation to disobey and look back. Alas, Genesis 19:26 "And Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
Lot's plan was successful in meeting his needs, but, to say the least, was not helpful in the aiding of the obedience of others. God always has the bigger picture in mind. Sometimes, the places He calls us to, whether it be the valleys or the mountain tops, are not about us at all, but about aiding others in their walk with Him. We must be so cautious when we find ourselves considering what God has said to do. There is no room for our considerations, only obedience. Our considerations of His call lack much. They lack the full knowledge of the measure of strength, grace, and mercy he is able to bathe the path with so all that seemed impossible and daunting becomes nearly effortless or at least not nearly what we expected. It becomes His task not ours. May your "Yes" to the Father come quickly as you move forward according to His Word and not your past, your fears, or your considerations! May you move forward in faith trusting Him, never looking back and never settling for the "Zoar" places in your life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_aVFVveJNs - Trust in You, Lauren Daigle
Isaiah 55:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Proverbs 3 New International Version (NIV)
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
3 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.[b]
13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you. 29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. 30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason— when they have done you no harm.
31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.
32 For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. 35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.
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