When to Submit & When to Resist

August 9th 2017
James 4:7-8 (NIV)

When to Submit & When to Resist

"Submit yourselves, then, to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

I love James as a writer! He is a very practical no-nonsense kind of guy. Here in chapter four we see James writing a response, addressing an issue among his audience of believers. They were fighting and quarreling among themselves; obviously letting these issues get in the way of their Christian unity. They were trying to "befriend" the world and its values while claiming to be Christians. James says this approach doesn't work. In fact, he says their double-mindedness was actually making them enemies of God.

The solution? James puts it quite simply and boldly. SUBMIT. RESIST. We are constantly submitting and resisting to people, urges, and choices within our lives. Submission is the great filter through which all choices are made. "I really want that motorcycle, BUT I don't have the money for it, and I wouldn't steal it. I guess I'll have to pass this time." See how submission to morals (or fear of getting caught) led to resisting the urge to steal?

The question then is "who am I submitting to?" The sad reality is that, all too often, we are resisting God and submitting to our desires, urges, and wants. The devil will always be throwing things of the world in our faces to get us distracted from who we are truly submitting to. He even threw all the kingdoms of the world in front of Jesus; yet who did He submit to? (Matt 4:8-10)

In my life, I would like to say that I've submitted to God in all instances, but that would be far from the truth. But it is so helpful in the moment to ask myself "who am I submitting to?" Especially in the grey areas of life. And the best part is that if I submit to God & resist the devil, he WILL flee. Not "maybe will flee" or "sometimes will flee". He will flee every time.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the straightforward truth of Your Word. Help me to consciously submit to You in all areas of my life. Give me the strength to resist the devil at my weakest moments and join You in laughing at him as he flees by the power of Your Name. Amen."

Joint Custody

April 11 2016
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:4 (ESV)

Joint Custody

"For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does."

Being married now for over a year and a half, I begin to understand the meaning of this verse. I never thought my patterns of life would need to change once I got married. Yet, my bacheloristic lifestyle was far from the perfect way a family should live. So what if I fling my socks across the room after a long day, or fold my laundry a certain way I like, or play a video game to relax my mind?  

The truth is, I didn't really know how selfish I could be until I had to share my bathroom, my free time, and my bed etc. But even so, I don't consider any of this a loss, because by the power of Christ, I love my wife more than I love myself. Though I had to change and give up some things along the way, I would gladly surrender my rights for her, because my love for her conquers my selfishness for me. 

From the moment I said, "I Do", I no longer possess full custody over Luke Wilson. As a loving husband, I must learn to live by the principle that I am not my own. This doesn't mean that I must never have things to myself, like hobbies, goals, or dreams, for God made me an individual person apart from my wife. But what this does mean is that I must be willing to put myself and my agenda down on the line for the love of my marriage. When she needs me, I must not deny her physically, or deny her my service, or deny her my attention, or my affection. Likewise she does the same for me because true love conquers selfishness. 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for blessing me with an amazing godly wife. I pray that I will continually become less selfish as I love her the rest of my life. Let me be reminded that I am not my own, but Yours and her's. Help me to always be ready to show my love to her when she needs me, even when I don't feel like it. Amen."

The Greatness Flip

March 21 2016
Scripture: Luke 9:48 (ESV)

The Greatness Flip

"Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives Him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."

One day along the road Jesus' disciples were arguing among themselves who was "the greatest disciple". Jesus had no time or patience for comparisons. Pulling a nameless boy (Jesus knew his name) in front of them all, He made a profound point: "Receive him, you receive me." Now that's a game-changer for the disciples. The master just made a "random kid" as important as Himself, and more important than any of them. The truth Jesus was portraying is that greatness is not in acts of divine power, but divine love.

I must learn to receive those who God gifted to me in my life as if I were receiving Jesus Himself. I do not need to be "received" by anyone to feel important, because I have already been received by grace of my Father in Heaven. This is true greatness: to love the least.

"Lord Jesus, help me to not be self-absorbed and care about the wrong kind of greatness. Let me receive those who are least as a holy gift, so that I may truly receive the blessing of loving the 'least of these'. Amen."