Red Sea Rules #2
October 4
#2 Be more concerned for God's glory than for your relief.
Whew, wee. This is not the way our selfish, sinful selves are wired. Morgan states, concerning our times of trial and troubles, "Our natural instinct is to ask:
How did I get into this mess, and how can I get out?
How quickly can I solve this problem?
Why did this have to happen to me?
There is a better approach, one that results in an entirely new way of looking at difficulties, that puts our problems into a different context and creates a new paradigm for dealing with tough situations. The next time you're overwhelmed...try asking, "How can God be glorified in this situation?"
The Biblical examples, which Morgan uses, lend a hand to our being able to understand the workings of God.
1) The man born blind in John 9, whom Jesus healed and taught a lesson to the disciples by saying, "This man was born blind to that the power of God could be displayed in his life."
2) How about Lazarus' death. Now there was a tomb side thriller!
Jesus saw things a bit differently than Mary and Martha who were hurt Jesus would allow this death. Jesus explained, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
A story is told in this chapter of a young man arrested for assault and armed robbery. His mother, heart broken, went to visit him in the juvenile detention center. He asked her to bring him a Bible and from that day he lived his life as a totally different person. Page 27 reads: "Like the experience of the Israelites at the Red Sea, the worst moment of her life was really her greatest day, for the Lord is in the business of delivering His people.....
.....in His own way .......in His own time .....for His own glory."
We had the privilege of working along side a dynamic youth pastor for several years.
His signature saying was, "It's all about Jesus." Is Jesus' name even on our "to do" list today?
Will we challenge our children when they walk out the door to "Give God the glory today! There are great things He is going to do."? In the overwhelming situation which faces us will we look to the Lord and say, "Be glorified through this Father. Be glorified."?
My mind needs daily reminding (love that, never actually dwelt on that word "reminding" and realized it means my mind needing some help) and renewing (ah, making new again) aid from our God given Helper the Holy Spirit when it comes to remembering I am not the main character in this story....that role belongs to Jesus! Be glorified today! Be glorified.
As we look down our prayer lists, and there are some very painful situations on those lists, how often do we add the end phrase, "Be glorified in this Father. Make it count for the Kingdom."?
Interestingly, while praying before writing today the phrase Hidden in Your Heart was on my mind. This chapter on being more concerned about God's glory than my relief needs to be a "reread" until living this way becomes a habit hidden in my heart.
His Kingdom is coming and it is going to be grand! Have a glorious day with Jesus and remember He never leaves you or forsakes you.
