October 15, 2012
Transformational Thought
I have 3 daughters, and they are great, great kids … I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They are very responsible and good with each other. When they were younger my wife and I went on a date, we would leave them in charge to babysit in this order … 14 year old babysits herself and her 12 year old sister; the 12 year old babysits herself and her 7 year old sister, and the 7 year old babysits herself and our dog, Duke. The determining factor when we granted them their wish to left home alone and “be on their own” was, “whose rules will you use to manage yourselves and those you are in charge of … our rules or yours?”
If they were able to be an extension of us, their parents, and be a caretaker of our rules, wishes, and authority, then we left them alone. If they were going to be their own kings (queens in this case), assume authority by overthrowing the existing regime (the parents or their older sibs), and rule based on their own whims, desires, and standards, then they weren’t allowed to be on their own.
Yesterday, we talked about how God created us to be His extension, the caretaker of His authority in all areas of creation, most importantly, especially protecting His standards and guidelines for our lives. Our struggles, like insecurity, worry, depression, bitterness, fear, loneliness, and all our addictions happen when we ignore, rebel against, or overthrow His authority, and place ourselves as the all-knowing, all-powerful Oz, the ruler of our own little universe.
When we use our ineffective and incomplete warped standards, rules, and guidelines for the goal of self-protection or self-promotion, we actually bring on our own self-destruction. Satan does a great job of hiding this blatant cause-and-effect principle in our lives from us. So, we persist being our own rulers, blaming others for the mess, and are ignorant that we are causing our daily debilitating, self-destructive consequences.
Today, as you experience some unrest, stop and ask yourself, “Whose rules am I using in this situation? In whose authority do I really trust?” God designed us to be caretakers of His authority, not kings resting in our own authority and developing our own kingdoms. WITHIN REACH and Edging Forward is a resource that helps you become less of a king and more of a caretaker of God’s plan for your life. Who is king of your world is your decision, so choose well.
Prayer
Dear Father, You are the most powerful, sovereign king ever. You are also the most loving and sacrificial king to Your subjects. Thanks for sacrificing Your son to die for me, a rebellious subject, who often overthrows Your rule in my life. I know when my flesh is on the throne; I reap the fruit of the flesh. What a desperate and lonely place. I will do anything to never go there again. Please help me be open to Your way. Open my mind to Your wisdom, and the guidance You have for me to develop the Mind of Christ. In the name of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, and all God’s children say – AMEN!
The Truth
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8:7-9