This morning I am reflecting on some verses out of Luke's Gospel. Recently I have been reflecting on how sometimes the Lord is at work in ways we don't understand, or in ways that don't fit our expectations. Jesus has a very specific commentary about that type of perspective in these verses from Luke 7:31-35 NIV:
[31] "Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “
'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
[33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'
[34] The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
[35] But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
These verses always seemed a bit strange to me, but as I read them this morning I had a brief flash of fresh insight. The image that came to mind was the image of spoiled children who wanted to control others through their desires and expectations. Jesus was comparing that generation to these type of children, one wonders what He would compare our generation to?
Jesus goes on to address how certain people discounted John because of his strange behavior, his radical and fasted life-style. Their history was full of prophets who were called to strange behaviors and actions, and yet when John comes they discount Him, likely because they didn't like His message of repentance. Rather than let his message find a home in their hearts, they discounted John as having a demon, and rejected him wholly. Note: not all people responded this way, for many people followed John and were baptized by Him - see verses 29-30).
In almost a complete opposite expression, Jesus comes feasting, drinking, and spending time with "sinners". Clearly this is not all Jesus did, but His life-style, at least publicly, was nothing like John's. Rather than welcome Him, these same people rejected Him as not possibly being from God, because of His lack of a "pure" life.
I think that the people who were rejecting John and Jesus would have rejected anyone that God sent, unless they fit the exact mold of what they thought a Messiah, or man of God should look like. We can expand this to say that they would have rejected any move of God that didn't fit their expectations, and that is my point of focus today.
The question for me is how open am I to God working in my life in some unexpected way?? Am I only going to accept Him if He does things the way I think He should do them?? Am I so convinced of my right view of God and His ways that I reject anything that doesn't fit my mold, or should I say, box? Am I only willing to see God move in ways that I find comfortable?
Going back to the initial verses of Jesus' comparison, He says this attitude is like spoiled (my word) children. I know that I don't want that to be how He describes me!
Taking this attitude and applying it to our experience of God in our churches, does this attitude then cause me to want to control, or have a controlled experience of God? Am I uncomfortable when God doesn't act the way I think He should act? Am I uncomfortable when church services get unusual? Do I fret when God seems to upset the apple-cart of a nice orderly service?? DO I want a preacher who preaches the way I think a preacher should preach?? Do I want worship teams to sing only songs I like? Do I want things my way??
Sadly, I think this describes many churches and brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ! We have become so accustomed to a life-less and tidy service that when God shows up in power, people run for the door. We see ministries that are experiencing the visitation of God, seeing people healed and delivered, called out as cults or influenced by the devil. We have people who are pursuing God, called into question because of their excesses and extremes. It seems that many of us in the Body don't want messy, we want nice controlled and safe church services.
The question is safe from what?? Do we want services where only saved and cleaned up Christians are welcome? Are we comfortable with "sinners" in our midst? Do we want to leave church without ever having been confronted with a need for our own repentance?? Do we want a God who acts and thinks like us? What if God's way isn't like ours?
I ask these questions of myself, for I know that there is much in me that wants to maintain the status-quo. I don't like having opportunities for repentance, especially in public. I like things to make sense and seem right to me - in other words I prefer God to act and think like me!
I think it is right to apply this theme to our corporate gatherings as well as to my own life. I want to be ok with God moving in my life in whatever way He decides, regardless of whether I am comfortable or not! I want to see God move!!! I don't want to miss Him because of my incorrect expectations!
This morning I am encouraged to look beyond my expectations, to lay down any that I know I hold! I am encouraged to be open to God moving in ways I have not seen, or heard! I am encouraged to embrace repentance (change in the way I think and act)! I am encouraged to think differently about the way God might want to move, or is already moving in my life! Come Lord Jesus and have Your way!
Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment