My almost eleven month old grandson is finding his voice and although he never uses the actual word, his “no” is crystal clear. Even more than when he shakes his head from side to side, his fits of temper show his frustration with his current situation. He grunts angrily or throws his head back or enacts an alligator death roll when he’s not getting his way.
Sometimes it’s a simple misunderstanding. He just isn’t able to express what he wants clearly yet or he’s impatient for it. Other times, he crosses the line into defiance when his momma puts her foot down and insists he comply for his own good or safety. He can’t always be distracted from what he’s set his mind on now either. How like us to insist on our own way, even if it’s just to avoid looking compliant.
God’s word is clear about what a life of faith should look like. We’re not only given instructions; we have the YouTube version in the life of Christ and men and women of faith. Perfection is found in Christ alone, but the victories and failures catalogued in the Bible give more than enough evidence to see the rewards of right living. There are simply times in life when obeying God is easier than others. The issue isn’t one of understanding, but of surrender.
“Then he said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.9.23.NLT
Eugene Peterson, in The Message, sheds more light on the real issue when he paraphrases Jesus’s statement in Luke 9 this way.
“Then he told them what they could expect for themselves:
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.
You’re not in the driver’s seat—
I am.
Don’t run from suffering; embrace it.
Follow me and I’ll show you how.
Self-help is no help at all.
Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.
What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”
Luke 9:23-25 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.9.23-27.MSG
Even in my fifties, there are times when I feel like throwing a tantrum rather than expressing praise through thanksgiving in every circumstance. For instance, last week when my first granddaughter was born and I tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day, I literally cried. The fact that she needed a little extra care and spent half of my quarantine in the NICU made little difference.
Her parents were in the same boat. Having been hospitalized for 24 hours, they labored together half that time before needing a C-section. Of course they were grateful to God for the safe arrival of their firstborn, but to have her whisked away from the operating room for separate care was not at all what they’d imagined. When we find ourselves in unexpected circumstances, we each have the same choice. We either assert our rights and our will or in obedience, we surrender to His.
Make it your habit to pray as
Jesus did in the garden in the hour of His greatest human need. “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42) Though His circumstances were not entirely unexpected, His agony in that moment was real and His surrender was complete. He walked into the next moment strengthened and determined to bring glory to God, the Father. We can too.
“Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said.
Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every kind of evil.
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 NLT
A Fitting Reply 
Wonderful devotion!
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Wonderful devotion
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