Sorting Out That Which We Encounter

Have you ever asked God in your prayers to teach you those thoughts and ways of His that He wants you to know and comprehend? Have you ever asked God to order the thoughts of your mind and guide the forming of your heart and the building of your spirit? Staying focused is not always easy and there are so many things that cross our paths, that get our attention, that draw us to look and possibly ponder on where it all leads and most importantly, what we ourselves should do in this particular matter.

Should we stand up for justice, speak out on behalf of the down trodden or voice opposition to that which we see as being a tearing down, versus a building up? My understanding of God’s Holy Word tells me “yes” to each of those questions, but there is one vital deciding factor that I believe also needs to be taken into consideration. There are two sources to draw from, one being God Himself and the other being worldly thinking. And God’s Word tells us that they are not one and the same.

If in fact, God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8), then the source which we draw from is actually critical and even though the principle that we may be addressing is in itself a worthy or “good” one, like seeking justice, or speaking out for the down trodden or fighting against that which we see as tearing down, versus building up, the objectives we are fighting for, will end up having us lean towards or depending upon either our own initiatives or the initiatives or commandments of God. And it is also vitally important to understand that the reasoning behind our own worldly initiatives and the reasoning behind the initiatives of God are also not one and the same. 

And maybe, just maybe, that is why Jesus gave us the Great Commission. 

In God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament, we see that it was God’s will, that He Himself be their King, but Israel rejected God’s will in this matter. 1 Samuel 8:5 and  1 Samuel 8:7 refers. 

We should also be mindful that when Jesus gave us the analogy of the vineyard, Jesus concluded this analogy by stating that, apart from Him, we could accomplish nothing. John 15 refers. 

The subtly of the variation in source pertains to whom or what we either consciously or unconsciously begin to put our trust or faith in. One being what we, either individually or collectively can accomplish and the other being what God will accomplish for us, if we focus our dependency on Him.

Zechariah 4:6 NASB comes to mind; “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of armies.”

How often does worldly wisdom seek “might and power” or better yet, how often has some of the Christian Church at large sought “might or power”? Two different objectives and two different sources?

I saw this meme recently displayed on Facebook where those who wear masks because of Covid19 are viewed as blind sheep, while those who oppose this blind following are viewed
as lions.

I am not going to go into the reasoning behind this assumption, but this is clearly harsh criticism being displayed from a Christian, towards other brothers and sisters in the Lord, who hold differing perspectives on this particular subject. Does this strike you as something being done in love? Ephesians 4:15 comes to mind.

Matter of fact, Jesus gave us a stern warning about calling our fellow brothers and sisters “fools”. Matthew 5:22 comes to mind.

Would this be a valid example of “worldly wisdom” or “Godly wisdom”, where it is justified to ridicule our brothers and sisters in the Lord because they hold a differing perspective in the matter of preventing the spread of Covid 19 ? And more importantly, from what source is this Christian person who posted this meme, drawing their logic or reasoning from? Amazing how the subtly of a worldly source can bring out self pride and the justification of ridicule isn’t it?

I am NOT knocking about seeking justice, or speaking out on behalf of the down trodden or voicing opposition to that which we see as being a tearing down, versus a building up, but there is a difference on how we do that, that is directly associated with our source and it doesn’t take too much discernment to see which source we are drawing from when we abandon God’s ways and God’s thoughts.

Something to think about.

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!