Review with me a minute – where are we going with all this?
Theme passage:
In the fear of the Lord there is strong
confidence, and His children will have refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the
snares of death.
confidence, and His children will have refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the
snares of death.
Proverbs 14:26, 27
The Goal: To walk
through door into a land of Wonder (AKA: the Abundant Christian Life). A door
that invites us through to strong confidence,
security, freedom from fear, joy, satisfaction, contentment, merriment, wisdom
to escape the traps the enemy sets out for me, and, best of all, sweet intimacy with my Savior.
through door into a land of Wonder (AKA: the Abundant Christian Life). A door
that invites us through to strong confidence,
security, freedom from fear, joy, satisfaction, contentment, merriment, wisdom
to escape the traps the enemy sets out for me, and, best of all, sweet intimacy with my Savior.
The Bad News: The
door is locked.
door is locked.
The Good News:
There’s a key: Fear of the Lord.
There’s a key: Fear of the Lord.
The Bad News:
Everything’s in opposite order. To
be able to use the key, God must be
HUGE in my mind. Instead, I am HUGE in
my mind. When I am big (or, other people
or things are) and God is small, pride, idolatry, and unbelief get in the way.
Everything’s in opposite order. To
be able to use the key, God must be
HUGE in my mind. Instead, I am HUGE in
my mind. When I am big (or, other people
or things are) and God is small, pride, idolatry, and unbelief get in the way.
The Good News:
There’s a bottle on the table that instructs, “Drink Me.” If I drink, everything reverses in right
order. God is the right SIZE, and I can
properly fear Him.
There’s a bottle on the table that instructs, “Drink Me.” If I drink, everything reverses in right
order. God is the right SIZE, and I can
properly fear Him.
Well, what am I waiting for, Alice? Take a swig!
But remember, I’m the one who needs to know what’s in that drink… I’m
not going to take too big of a risk.
That’s where Alice and I differ, and this is exactly what I’m exploring
right now. Exactly what is in that
bottle?
But remember, I’m the one who needs to know what’s in that drink… I’m
not going to take too big of a risk.
That’s where Alice and I differ, and this is exactly what I’m exploring
right now. Exactly what is in that
bottle?
Humility. Check.
Submission.
Check.Check.
Check.Check.
There’s one more ingredient…and, this one causes almost all
of us to hesitate at one time, or another.
It’s the bittersweet taste of obedience.
of us to hesitate at one time, or another.
It’s the bittersweet taste of obedience.
The three ingredients form a chain. You can’t have one without the other. Humility (seeing/knowing God and
seeing/knowing myself as He sees me) draws me to submission. Submission sets me in the proper frame of
mind for obedience. Obedience is easy
once the other two have been wrestled to the ground. With confidence, I can say humility and
submission lead directly to obedience without hesitation. When my kids were little, I was famous for
saying, “If it’s not quick obedience, it’s not obedience.” Sometimes, I wonder if God thinks that way
about us. However, without an attitude
of humility and submission, our obedience will be anything but quick.
seeing/knowing myself as He sees me) draws me to submission. Submission sets me in the proper frame of
mind for obedience. Obedience is easy
once the other two have been wrestled to the ground. With confidence, I can say humility and
submission lead directly to obedience without hesitation. When my kids were little, I was famous for
saying, “If it’s not quick obedience, it’s not obedience.” Sometimes, I wonder if God thinks that way
about us. However, without an attitude
of humility and submission, our obedience will be anything but quick.
There’s a great story in the Scriptures that illustrate this
point. The story is found in 1 Samuel
15. It’s well worth the read, and
pondering over. How about spending the
week reading this narrative, taking some notes, and next week we’ll compare
thoughts? I guarantee one thing: there’s
a former king, named Saul, who sure wishes he’d taken heed to the principle
being presented: Fully drinking the cup of God’s Will surely opens the a door to a grand
adventure in a Kingdom called Wonderland.
point. The story is found in 1 Samuel
15. It’s well worth the read, and
pondering over. How about spending the
week reading this narrative, taking some notes, and next week we’ll compare
thoughts? I guarantee one thing: there’s
a former king, named Saul, who sure wishes he’d taken heed to the principle
being presented: Fully drinking the cup of God’s Will surely opens the a door to a grand
adventure in a Kingdom called Wonderland.