The Buck Stops Here

"Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary 

wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes 

about the situation in Jerusalem.  

They greeted the king for all their colleagues--

the judges and local leaders, 

the people of Tarpel, 

the Persians, 

the Babylonians, 

and the people of Erech and Susa (that is, Elam).  

They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported 

and relocated in Samaria 

and throughout the neighboring lands of the province 

west of the Euphrates River."

Ezra 4:8-10 NLT

There were a lot of people behind this letter written to the king of Persia, seeking to undermine the efforts of God's people to rebuild the temple of the living God as well as the city in which it dwells.  It proved to accomplish its purpose in halting the progress being made, planting a seed of doubt in the king's mind as to the Jews' trustworthiness in honoring the king, especially when it comes to the paying of taxes of any kind.

Usually it's the leader who must take responsibility for the actions of a group such as this.  To God, however, each one who agreed and supported this tactic is responsible for what happened as a result of this letter.  

It's the same with me.  Even if everyone around me resists God and works against Him, I always have the choice to side with Him, going against the crowd.  How do I often go with the flow, defying God as a result?

Status Quo.  Jesus went through a lot to deliver to me a new way of living.  He gave up His divinity for a time so that I could have the benefit of His indwelling Spirit (Philippians 2:6-8, Galatians 3:14) .  

He took the punishment for my sin upon Himself so that my body could be the new temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).  

He stepped off the throne to deliver salvation to a world desperately in need of saving (John 3:17).  As God restored His Son to His rightful place of honor in heaven, He also gave Jesus the Holy Spirit to pour out on me (Acts 2:32-33).

Since I have been given such treasure, why would I do things the way they have always been done, failing to take notice of where the Spirit leads (1 Thessalonians 5:19)?  Why would I walk in the flesh instead of letting His Spirit guide my life (Galatians 5:16)?  Why would I maintain the status quo when God has something new in mind (Isaiah 43:18-19)?

I am responsible for going where God's Spirit leads me, not falling in line with what man expects of me.

Blend.  Do people around me know that I follow Jesus?  Or do I blend in, looking like the rest of the world in my attitudes, choices, and lifestyle?  As the salt of the earth, I am called to be different.  In order to make a kingdom-difference in this world, I must not lose my saltiness (Matthew 5:13).  I can't afford to become like everyone else because then, what good will I be in influencing the world for Christ?

It is Jesus dwelling in me that makes me different from the world.  If I resist His transforming work as He tears down the old and replaces the flesh with the new, how will I appear to my neighbor?  Like a hypocrite who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.  Like a carnal Christian who is bound by sin.  Like a member of the pop-culture church which is impotent and dead.

If I cooperate with what Jesus is doing, however, I will be transformed in my thoughts and attitudes, taking on a new persona that is focused on making the most of God in my day-to-day life (Romans 12:2).  I will then want what God wants and will find myself at odds with the world.

I am responsible for resisting the tendency to blend in with the world, instead cooperating with God's transformation process, making me different than the rest of the world.

Common Sense.  How do I usually make choices?  I always heard that I should make a list of pros and cons and choose the side that is more heavily weighted.  Or to follow my heart.  Or to just pick and let the chips fall where they may.

There are many methods used to make decisions, but all of them rely on my own resources.  Either it's what makes sense to me that wins out or what feels good that influences me the most.  

Whichever technique I use, I can only discern God's direction if I trust Him, placing all my confidence in Him and His ability to lead me.  What I absolutely cannot do is rely on my own insight, perception or intelligence.  Only by recognizing that He is the One with the plan, will I be able to discover the way He has prepared for me to go (Proverbs 3:5-6).  And I must be prepared to accept that this plan probably won't make sense to me.

I am responsible for trusting God instead of my own way of thinking.

People all around me are going the wrong way.  Either I could join in, taking the wide path that leads to destruction, or I could step out of the stream and find the narrow gate.  When I do, I must let the Holy Spirit lead me, resist the urge to blend in and instead let God transform me, and stop relying on my common sense or other carnal resources.  In these ways I won't be ashamed of the direction my life goes, and I'll honor God in the process.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop going with the flow.

When do I resist the leading of the Holy Spirit?

How am I trusting more in my common sense than in God's wisdom, which is far from common?