May 25, 2004

[Kidan]

Quote[/b] ]If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left
—Genesis 13:9

Quote[/b] ]As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice.

Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. In this passage, it would seem that the wisest thing in the world for Abram to do would be to choose. It was his right, and the people around him would consider him to be a fool for not choosing.

Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, ". . . walk before Me . . ." ( Genesis 17:1 ).

 

[Kidan]

I have said before that the surest sign of true faith in God is not having the need to ask God for anything. When you have great faith in God, rather than pushing your rights to go to the throne, you become submissive and accept the choices that God has for you.

I, for one, often lack in this department. I understand intellectually how it's supposed to work, but due to the way I was raised, and other environmental, emotional, and pyschological factors I often find myself telling God how I want something to turn out, rather than waiting on His desire for how something should turn out. I have to wonder how often I've gotten something that's ok, rather than something that's great due to my own impatience, and inability to wait upon the Lord.

So today, rather than ask for some random trinket or desire your heart has hit upon this week. Ask that God helps you learn to trust in Him completely. Ask that God helps you become submissive to His will.