I am currently employed to care for a wonderful set of children. The elder is a girl, energetic and challenging to my ageing body. While the younger is a charming boy who makes it hard to say no unless you really care for his wellbeing. The latter is nearly finished with potty training, however there are the occasional incidents. Today one of these happenings occurred. I had put him down for a nap and as usual expressed my will that he not get out of his bed. Most of you, I suppose, may be able to figure out what happened. This has brought to my mind a chosen predicament of many believers. One in which I frequently place myself.
The desire expressed in the above situation was that the child not leave the bed and the request was followed to the "t". However at the cost of a mess the child failed to consider that I, as a loving caregiver, would understand his issue and help him deal with it in the best way my finite mind could conceive. All the child needed to do was verbally express his need and his nanny would quickly and joyfully escort him to the best room to meet that need.
While God's will and plan for our lives is solid and premeditated in every part, leaving no wiggle room, it is not laid out before us in such a way that we can read it's every detail. How many of us have said, "I just don't know what God wants me to do." The kicker is that God has expressed everything He wants us to do. In His word many commands are given and are to be followed in order that one's heart of love for the Father will be reflected. Israel followed the command of circumcision to reflect the heart having sin trimmed away by the divine hand of God. While the Church is called to be light exposing God's truth to the world, that the same heart would be shown in contrast to the selfish ambitions of the flesh.
As we learn of the commands of Scripture, let us first, learn of the heart of God as our loving Caregiver. Secondly, pray and perhaps confess our sin concerning the command and its reaches into our daily lives. And last (but the first to be seen by others) change.
If your heart and life are not changed daily by the Word of God, step back and see if your heart has been hardened by sin (Hebrews 3:13). I would say to you, "pray that God show to you your sins that you may confess them with a contrite heart," but contrition is impossible for the hardened heart. Therefore, pray that He would circumcise your heart, trim the wall that surrounds it and keeps it seperated from the truth of His word.
Love Him,
N.L. White
Matthew 5:21-30
21"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25"Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26"Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. 27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30"If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
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