Last week I read a tragic news story of a teenaged boy who trespassed into a restricted area of an amusement park to retrieve his hat and was struck by a roller coaster and died. The story was so terribly sad to me and as I pondered it, this spiritual parallel unfolded…..
There is unforeseen danger in the restricted areas. God has clearly – by His Word and His Spirit – marked certain things off limits. Why? Not to deny me any pleasure, but to protect me and preserve my life. Although I may not see the approaching danger, or be aware of any threat to my safety, I need to understand that these areas have been restricted to me because there is indeed danger lurking there. And when it comes, it may come so speedily that I am unable to escape.
Why do we feel the need to trespass into the restricted areas? Isn’t it true that sometimes the very presence of a sign warning us to keep out only increases the desire to go in? The apostle Paul said in Romans 7:7 “I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet”.
Just a glance at the forbidden thing is all we want. But Achan only took a few small items from the forbidden things of Jericho and it cost him his life and the lives of his family. (Joshua 7).
And who can forget the trespass of Adam and Eve that has affected us all?
Had this dear boy known it would cost him his life to retrieve the hat, I am convinced he would not have considered it that valuable.
And may we, as the people of God, not be guilty of disregarding the commands of God to possess trifles and worthless things.
Today I celebrate not only Independence Day, but being in dependence…..
Dependence on a Saviour who has done for me what I could never do for myself:
Saved me from eternal separation from God in hell
Cleansed me from my many, many sins by His own precious blood
Empowered me to live for Him by His Spirit
Oh, the list would be endless……..
I must realize daily that I have no resources in myself to live this life, to walk this walk. So I must lean hard on Christ.
and cling to Him in dependence for every word I speak that it might impart grace to the hearers.
and look to Him when I have need as my only resource.
and trust in Him for wisdom in all things, great and small
and lean on Him for the strength to live a life pleasing to Him.
I cannot depend on myself. I can only fall at His feet and confess “I have no help, no strength but You. But You are everything. You are enough.”
Does this make me appear weak? Then I will celebrate this as well. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
May Christ be magnified in my life, not because I am strong, but because His strength is demonstrated through my life. This is my prayer Lord Jesus – that I would truly learn to live in dependence on You.
As I read the Word of God, I become increasingly aware of the many deficiencies in my walk with Christ, so many things to be changed in me.My type A personality, combined with a sincere desire to be conformed to the image of Christ, sets me immediately to work devising a plan, mapping out a strategy to accomplish this lofty goal.As if it was in my ability to actually do such a thing.So I labor and strain……..and fail.And falling to the depths of despair over my inadequacy as a child of God, I determine that I need to try harder, be more disciplined and more committed.It is a vicious cycle.And a needless one.
Certainly there is a place for discipline and commitment in the life of a believer.Even self examination is called for by the Scriptures.But isn’t it possible that there is a place of rest in Christ that we can live from, where the heart is so enraptured, so utterly delighted with Him, above and to the exclusion of all else (even ourselves) that the strivings and labors of our own soul are no longer necessary?
The work that Jesus has required is that we believe.The life that He has commanded is one of rest, and love and abiding.Oh what sweet and pleasant words these are to the weary soul.They are the language of delight and they are words that draw us to the Savior.This stands in stark contrast to the infamous “should”, which is the language of obligation, perpetually driving us to ever more frenzied levels of self improvement.
The work of the Spirit of God in the life of a believer is exactly that – the work of the Spirit of God.And whereas our own labors will drive us to despair, His workings will lead us ever so sweetly into the green pastures of an obedient and Christ-like life.
He is my Delight 