Acts 5:29 "Peter and the other apostles replied: We must obey God rather than man!"
From birth we are, most of us anyway, taught to obey man. Obey your parents (a good thiing), obey your teachers, the policeman, the pastor.....and all of these are good things. But it does establish a mind set, where you go through life knowing you must obey man. This must be done in order, however. You should only obey man if it does not cause disobedience to God. The way the world rules things, especially now in this day, does not make for Godly obedience. The new rules of man more often conflict with that of what the Lord would have you do. Right now has become in most cases, wrong; and wrong has become right. Drink a cup of coffee at a fast food place and spill it on yourself, burning yourself, and sue them and win....I would have loved to see the Lord's face with that one. I can imagine Him shaking His head and wondering just what was anyone thinking, or better yet, not thinking. This is just a small case of misjustice in my mind. Where has common sense gone; where has brotherly love gone; and when did constantly try to get things that belong to someone else, just because you can, begin. Coffee is hot, if you spill it, you will get burned. Common sense. Watch where you are walking. Common sense. But here I am again, getting off track.
When we begin to obey man to the point of letting them decide wrong over right for us, or make decisions for us without our consulting our God, then we are getting ourselves in a real bind. Our decision making should come at the foot of the cross, at the feet of our Lord, prayerfully asking the Father for clear thinking, for wisdom and knowledge in the situation and then wait for an answer. Do we just ask in prayer and run ahead with what we were thinking of doing in the first place without waiting for an answer. I can remember in the past when I did exactly that. How many heartaches I could have saved myself if I would have inquired of my God, and waited for His answer. No matter how long it takes for His answer, you will find it is always in the right timing that will benefit us, God's timing is perfect. Now I wait, I only want God's answers to lead me, to guide me in my life. I want to make sure I stay in His will, not my own, not man's will, but God's alone.
When I am in God's will for my life, when I know that my direction is coming from Him alone, then there is joy in my heart, I have that beautiful peace that only comes from knowing that God is in control of my life and I have nothing to worry about. As long as my Lord is doing the directing and I do the following, there is rest at the end of each day, a peaceful rest and there is more joy awaiting me when I awaken.
In the Bible we read of so many that could not, would not wait for God's direction, for His way, and then spent a good portion of their lives in disarray, in misery, crying out to God for deliverance. Things have not changed much, when we rush ahead and do things our way, we fall into the same pattern. We cry out to our Lord for forgiveness and help. Thank You, Lord God, for Your mercy, Your compassion for Your children, that regardless of what we did, of the fact that we did not wait for Your Word, Your way, You still pulled us up and delivered us from ourselves, so many times.
Your love, my Lord, is so merciful, so kind, so unending. I see over and over how You have lifted me to Yourself, held me close, and forgave my impatience, my stubbornness, just giving me more love than I knew was possible, when I was so undeserving. You dusted me off, restored my robe of righteousness, and told me how You loved me, told me You were placing me back on the path that You set for me, and gave me instructions once again on following You way alone. I know when I do this, and it seems like I am not hearing from You as clearly as I was.....I think it is kind of like a "time-out". You just set me just far enough away so I don't feel Your presence as heavy on me, but still close enough where Your hand can reach out and touch me so I know You are there. You, my Lord God, as so good to me, Your kindness and grace overwhelm me at times, I know I cannot live without my Lord, my Father.
This 15th day of August, 2011, my Lord, I worship You, I truly give You all my heart, all my love. I cannot imagine what my life would be if I was going my own way.....I know that the only way for me, for the rest of my life, is Your Way Alone.
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