A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
Read
Today's passage is Ecclesiastes 5:1-7. Keep in mind the last time you were in a worship service. How are these attitudes similar to your own? Solomon addresses 3 areas in which we tend to use God. Can you spot them?
Think
We operate from what we know and what we think is best. That's really all we can do, isn't it? Too often, though, what we know is incomplete. Especially when things are going wrong or when our lives don't turn out quite like we'd hoped, we default to 3 basic responses:
Blaming God
Verse 1- Has your mom ever said "watch your step" as a warning to be careful how you speak to her? Or as my dad still says, "watch it." It's easy to get so fed up with oppression and the evils of the world that we approach God carelessly, forgetting that He is really the One with perfect knowledge and eternal perspective. No matter how frustrated we become, we should always remember that He is God and we are not.
Lashing Out
Verses 2-3- We are all hurt and angry at circumstances in our lives. None of us get through this life unscathed. The easiest thing for us to do, especially in the heat of our emotion, is to speak rashly in anger. Before we lash out at the One who is working all things for our good, let's stop to think that He is in Heaven, we are on earth, and our foolishness cannot be hidden once spoken.
Bribes Galore
Verses 4-7- Have you ever said, "God, if you get me out of this, I'll..."? These days it's no big deal to break a promise, but Scripture makes it clear that the wise person is someone who keeps his word. Especially when dealing with someone who is so high above us, care should be taken that we are not frivolous with our vows. Let's be careful that we are not attempting to bribe God, as if we could.
"Forgiving God is a term I'd rather avoid. It implies that God has done something wrong that requires our pardon. We should underline the statement that by the perfection of his nature, He will not and cannot do wrong. What seems like misdeed is mystery. The important thing to remember is that His love and compassion are perfect, unbroken, and forever."
David Jeremiah, Searching for Heaven on Earth
Pray
Ask God to help you see Him at work in the events all around you, to help you be aware of His Presence. Thank Him for the calamities He's helped you avoid, and ask Him to help you trust that He knows what He's doing when hard times come.
Do
Concentrate on your attitudes toward God as you read this. Are you angry at Him for something? Do you try to use God to get out of sticky situations? Are you quick to blame Him for the bad circumstances in your life? Look around at things that happen all around you. For what can you be thankful? How does God take care of you on a daily basis?
i have blamed God in many occassions. i have blamed him for letting me get into situations that would make me fall from his grace... but mostly blamed him for not giving me enough strength to ovecome them knowing that he is all-powerful. that at the snap of his finger ha can lift me up off my misery or out of temptation if he wants to. but in the end, i would come to realize that he is God and i am not and he works in ways that i may only get to understand later when lessons are learned. good thing God's grace doesnt run out...
ReplyDeletekeep writing bro.