Most of the time I am very good about following the rules, no matter how silly they may be. There are times when I try to bend or break the rules or get them changed just for me. One friend got frustrated with me and said "No means no!". With my usual charm I retorted "Are you sure? I am not sure I understand."
We can be that way with God. Like Adam and Eve, God gives us so much in our lives. Instead of being thankful for all things he gives us, we have a tendency to focus on the "no" things. Whether it be the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil or a relationship or a job or whatever God is saying "no" about in your life, we try to question it. We go our own ways sometimes.
A friend posted something like this on Facebook.
When we pray, God answers in three ways -- Yes, No, and I have something better in mind.
Lord, thank you for saying yes and for having something better in mind. Oh yeah, and thank you for saying no! You know what is best for us!
Teaching Tuesday
The lesson this week was about the Jacob saga in Genesis 24-35. Folks say that studying the Old Testament is boring and meaningless. I do not entirely agree with that statement. The way these lessons are written highlights the important concepts and minimizes the weirdness when compared to today's culture. The book also acknowledges weirdness and inconsistencies in the scripture. It stresses that we are to learn about the major concepts and not worry about all the inconsistencies!
I learned two very important things this week from the Jacob saga:
- Trying to make things happen by our own schemes and plans shows a lack of faith and lack of belief in God's promises. Wow! We see this over and over again as the patriarchs lie and cheat and do other ungodly things. This leads to the second point.
- God started using Jacob in a might way when Jacob "diminished" and God increased in his life. Double Wow! A new mantra for me is "Duane Diminished". This is a healthy, spiritual concept of letting God show more through me instead of my silly humanness. I look back and see how my schemes and plans have only messed things up. When I diminish and follow God's leading and trust in God's promises, God leads me to what is best for me. What an amazing God!
God wants a relationship with you. Talk to him about it today!
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We are far from perfect, but despite our mistakes and our sins, we will never abandon the Lord and he will never abandon us - adapted from a statement about Abraham from the EfM Training Guide
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