Children often fault their
parents for disciplining them. A child may consider his/her parents as cruel
and vindictive, when they are merely teaching them self-discipline. We feel
this way towards God sometimes too. We gripe and complain because He does not
jump at our commands and give us the whims of our heart. Much of the discipline
we receive from God is simply due to our self-centeredness. Our character
defects hinder our ability to love Him and His ability to use us for His Kingdom.
Our egocentricity impedes
our relationship with God. We love our self more than we love God or anyone
else. The only escape for us from this troubling scenario is to humble our self
under the mighty hand of God. As we submit to His discipline, He will lift us
out of the quicksand of our spiritual desolation (James 4:10). He smoothes our jagged edges and fills our hollow
heart with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our standards and focus gradually change as we
mature in Christ and draw closer to God (James 1:4).
We soon learn the joy of
living in the center of God’s will. His peace fills our life and we experience
fewer times of tribulation and struggle. We see Him working out His purpose in
our life and in the world around us. When life throws us a curve ball, the Holy
Spirit is right there to catch it and to guide us around the bases of life to a
home run. We mount up on wings as eagles and soar above the carnal, earthly
realm of life (Isaiah 40:31). He
satisfies us with every good and perfect gift and gives us what we need to do
His will with our life (James 1:17).
During the good times, we
forget that God is the one who provides us with the ability to gain health,
wealth and success in this life. We tend to take credit for our accomplishments,
to neglect His Word and to cease from living in constant prayer (Deuteronomy
8:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Our
pride overcomes any humility that God worked into our life, and we live from
our own resources until they start to fail us once again (Deuteronomy
8:17-18). Then we are right back at the
foot of the cross, ready to take that steep climb to victory all over again.
When we come to realize that
God is with us, even in the valleys of life (Psalm 23:4), we can trust our life to His faithfulness. We live
as a beacon of hope to the drowning world all around us. We lead them to safety
on the Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2).
We introduce them to the truths of God’s Word and we welcome them into our
fellowship of Believers. The key to success in life is to seek the Lord for His
direction, to trust in Him with our whole heart, not to depend upon our human
wisdom and to follow His Spirit’s direction every moment of the day (Proverbs
3:5-6).
Prayer:
Father God, we humble our
self under Your mighty hand, and You lift us up in Your perfect timing (1 Peter
5:6). Our heart hopes in You, as You
raise us up with Your right hand in which we find eternal pleasures (Psalm
63:8, 16:11). We seek asylum in Your
loving right hand (Psalm 17:7). When
our heart is overwhelmed, we cry to You for help. You lead us to safety of the
Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2). You
lift Your loving hand to help the afflicted (Psalm 10:12). You deliver us from our enemies (Psalm
138:7; Exodus 15:6). Thank You for
sending Jesus, the radiance of Your splendor and the precise image of Your
nature who sits at Your right hand, to uphold the universe by the word of His
power (Hebrews 1:3)
Thought for the Day:
God is the Lord of our
valleys, but He is also the Lord of our mountaintops. – Psalm 23
