God is God. . . and I am not

Originally published on February 28, 2012

"Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon;

serve him and his people,

and you will live."

Jeremiah 27:12

Common sense is defined as, "normal, native intelligence," or "sound practical judgement that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like."  I make decisions everyday based upon my common sense.  I think, If it doesn't sound logical and make sense, it must not be the right choice. 

Even Guatama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism agrees with me. He said to, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

The problem is, God calls me to, "Trust in the Lord with all (my) heart and lean not on (my) own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)  Following God sometimes means I will do things out of obedience to God that do not make sense to me, that goes against every piece of sound logic and which looks downright irresponsible.  But God is God and I am not.  

Trusting God many times means I will go against my common sense.

Zedekiah, King of Judah

God sent a message to the King of Judah that went against Zedekiah's good judgement.  The Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah that when the Babylonian army came in to conquer and destroy his land, he was to roll over and surrender willingly.  If he did so, he would be allowed to live.  In fact, all the nations in the region were sent a similar message, saying that if they did not resist, they would be able to stay in their own land.  

What king worth his salt is going to passively stand by while a foreign army invades his land?  Even a puppet king placed in power by a foreign ruler cannot easily surrender to an invading army.  King Zedekiah did what came naturally instead of obeying God and he rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar.   Consequently, he was forced to watch his sons' violent deaths before suffering the gouging of his eyes and exile to Babylon.

Trusting God many times means I will be asked to go against my common sense.

Jim Elliot

God used the life and death of missionaries Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, Roger Youderin and Peter Fleming to open up a door for the Gospel to enter the lives of the mysterious Auca tribe in Ecuador, as well as to other people groups in the region.  

These men acted recklessly, going against all standards of good judgement in making contact with such a violent and primitive tribe who regularly killed six out of every ten of their fellow tribesmen.  Not surprisingly, the five men were brutally killed upon making their first contact with the people with whom they had come to share the gospel.   But, as Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the video he shot in the same Amazon Basin jungle with descendants of Nate Saint and his killer along with other tribe members who are now followers of Jesus Christ, God is God and I am not. 

Please take a moment to watch this powerful video.

Trusting God many times means I will do things that go against my common sense.

Youcef Nadarkhani

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been held under charges of apostasy in Iran since 2009 when he spoke out against Islamic indoctrination in his childrens' school. (He was released in January 2013 but since has been arrested and persecuted numerous times.) His actions go against every bit of common sense in my being.  When living in an Islamic state who is violently opposed to the message of the gospel, it is a matter of self-preservation to keep quiet about one's beliefs.  

But God inspired this young man to speak up and take a stand for Christ at risk of his life and the lives of his young family.  God is God and I am not.  Who knows what fruit will come from this act of obedience?

Trusting God many times means I will take a stand that goes against my common sense.

What is God calling me to do this very day that goes against all sound judgement?  Give away my savings?  Show love to someone who hurt me deeply?  Sell everything and go to a hostile land?  Quit my job?  Take a pay cut and a demotion?  

Whatever it is that God is calling me to do, I can rest in the knowledge that God is God and I am not.  He has a plan. . . and that plan is far in scope beyond all I can ever imagine!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will be challenged by these stories to obey God at all costs.

When do I rely on my common sense instead of listening to and obeying God?

How does knowing that God's ways are higher than my ways inspire me to obey even when it doesn't make sense for me to do so?

Going the Distance

"And whatever you do, 

whether in word or deed, 

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:17

"Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

 Who, being in very nature God, 

   did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

 but made himself nothing, 

   taking the very nature of a servant. . ."

Philippians 2:5-7a

I have heard it said that, "No good deed goes unpunished."  While it may sometimes seem this way, this sentiment is more of a cry of frustration when I do things for the wrong reasons than an adage by which to live.

As a follower of Christ, I can choose to do things out of "Christian duty," or obligation or to fulfill an expectation others have for me.  It's almost as if I'm carrying out the work in accordance with a job description for Christians that could go something like this.  "Love others at all times, serve tirelessly, think of others more highly than self, preach the gospel at every opportunity and do it all with a gracious and gentle spirit."

That is a tall order!  While all of those criteria came straight from scripture, I cannot expect to fulfill them in my own strength or out of sheer will.  Jesus reminds me in John 15:5 that I can't do it on my own.  He said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Trying to do things out of my own strength with lead to discouragement, frustration and disappointment.  But there is a better way.

Motivation

Steven Curtis Chapman sings a song which speaks to my desire to do things that matter.  The monotonous, everyday things seem meaningless and doing them day in and day out can lead to feelings of frustration, discontentment and bitterness.  I think, What's the point.  No one cares, no one ever thanks me and I don't think I'm making much of a difference.  

Take a moment to listen to, "Do Everything."

Why do I do the things I do?  If I do them to please others, I will grow increasingly discouraged and may become irritable around those I am serving.  

If, instead, I do it out of a love for God, seeking to please Him in all that I do, there will be peace and contentment in my heart.  I want to be able to say, as the Apostle Paul did in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

If my motivation for doing all the things that must be done in life is to please God, I will not grow discouraged.

Expectations

As a wife and mother, I have a lot of expectations.  Some of them are reasonable, some are excessive.  All, however, are completely mine.

During my husband's Army career, our family moved to Germany.  As part of the preparation for this transfer, we received a packet of information about the country in which we'd be living.  Knowing what to expect was very helpful and made for an easier transition.

Expectations influence my attitude.  Paul explained in Philippians 2:5-7 (see above) how I can improve my attitude and keep from becoming frustrated when my expectations regarding how I should be treated are not met.  Knowing what to expect from others is beneficial.

Jesus is God the Son, creator of heaven and earth and worthy of all praise.  In the end, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.  (Philippians 2:9-11)  If He came to earth as a human and expected to be treated as a lowly servant, to be spat upon and treated like dirt, how can I as a sinful human who is the enemy of God without the blood of Jesus expect better treatment?  

If my expectation is for others to treat me as Jesus was treated instead of demanding respect and regard, then I will not be disappointed

Attitude

William Bennett, conservative politician and writer said, "There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes."  The way I see myself and my lot in life influences my outlook.  Knowing that God has located me in the position I now hold, placed specific people around me according to His plan and gave me the responsibilities that sometimes feel overwhelming can change my attitude.  

Everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as a fluke.  If I believe this, my attitude will be one of thankful acceptance.

There is a lot of work to be done, as Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." (Luke 10:2)  But how long I last out in the field depends upon my motivation for doing the work, and my expectation in how I will be treated.   Both result in an attitude that can either make me or break me.  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can do everything to please God, not to make myself look good or to meet others expectations for me.

How does my attitude quickly take a nose dive as I am met with unforeseen difficulties?  

How does my expectation that others will treat me with respect show a desire to glorify myself instead of God?