No Matter How Irritating...

It was not the answer I expected. In fact, I was praying about something else and for someone else. Initially I tried to ignore what I was hearing in my heart. I wanted to focus on that thing I thought was a priority but God had other matters that He wanted to deal with. In fact, He would not let me move on in prayer until I responded to the instruction He had so clearly impressed upon my spirit. What was it that was so important? God was calling me to love someone whom in the past I had spent time complaining about.

Come on, be honest. You know the type of person I’m talking about. It’s that person that, if you could, you would turn and run in another direction when you see them coming but for one reason or another you can’t avoid them. I won’t get into why I wish I could avoid this person (that would be gossiping) but I’m guessing many of you have THAT person in your life. So, when God told me that I had to love THAT person, His words knocked me back on my heels for a bit. I know that what He  asks is the right thing to do but...I mean...really?

Unconditional love: It’s a concept that is easy to talk about but not always easy to implement. In this case there are two hurdles: the abrasiveness of the other person and the need to keep from falling into the pit of becoming an enabler. God does not want us to join in something that is wrong (or in some cases a relationship that is dangerous) but He does want us to reflect His love in every situation. The bottom line is that Jesus loves even the most irritating among us, doing so without getting sucked into that person’s sin. If we are to do the same we must ask God to equip and guide us. In Him we can answer the call to love unconditionally, even when we would rather run.

Is Your Commitment For Real or For Show?

It sounded good at the time. A small group of people, left behind after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, came to the prophet and pledged to do whatever God said even if He said something they did not like (Jeremiah 42:5-6). There was only one problem. That small group of people were big time liars, saying what they thought God wanted to hear. Yet, while their lips said one thing, their hearts were set on doing their own thing no matter what.

They had already planned to go to Egypt and nothing Jeremiah said was going to change their minds. Their hearts were not surrendered to God and they were not willing to obey the LORD unless He said what they wanted to hear. It seems they only wanted to put on a good religious show before they followed their own path. Their proud boast about obedience was nothing more than an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the prophet and over the eyes of his God.

Ten days after the remnant made their great boast, God sends Jeremiah back with an answer to their prayers (Jeremiah 42:7-12). His decision? They should remain in Jerusalem where God promises to take care of them even as they live under Nebuchadnezzar's rule. He then warns them of what will happen if they go to Egypt (verses 13-17). Why did God specifically single out a trip to Egypt as part of His warning? Well, He knew they were being hypocritical (verse 20) and He called them out about their lies. Their fake attempt at showing how devoted they were fell flat as God sees the heart with all its wicked intentions. (This is what God said in 1 Samuel 16:7 as He shot down Samuel’s standard for picking someone worthy to be king.) In the end the remnant did go to Egypt, defying God and bringing a curse upon themselves.

I believe that when we accept Jesus as savior we also accept Him as LORD. We receive salvation as a free gift, one that cannot be earned. At the same time we recognize the authority held by our Creator: authority that demands obedience to His perfect will. As a result our lips should declare Him LORD and so should our actions!

It’s easy to talk a big game, to do the church thing and even to do a few good works. But how far does your (and my) commitment go? Are we ready to follow our LORD no matter what?

Is your commitment to obeying God for real or is it for show?

How Deep is Your Commitment?

Jerusalem has fallen! Nebuchadnezzar and his armies have won and the king has been carried off to be tortured. Jeremiah is left behind along with the poor to whom the captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s army gave vineyards and fields (Jeremiah 39:1-10). Those who were left behind came to Jeremiah, asking him to petition the LORD his God on their behalf (Jeremiah 42:1-3). In doing so, they make a commitment to obey God even if they do not like what He says (Jeremiah 42:5-6). Does your commitment to obedience go as deep as those who found themselves in captivity?

Be honest. It’s easy to obey God when He tells us to do something we want. How easy is it to obey when God says something we don’t like or don’t want to hear? I wish I could say that I like everything God says and most of the time that is true. However, there are those times when God says something I don’t want to hear. There are those times when He asks too much or He asks me to give up something I want to hold on to. There are those times when the Christian walk is just too difficult and yet God calls on us to move forward by faith. It’s when God says something we do not like that you and I find out if our commitment to God runs deep or if it is just a surface thing, just a convenient show so that I can convince myself that all is well.

What are some of the things He asks that I find displeasing? He asks me to forgive when it’s the last thing I want to do, including when someone has truly and honestly hurt me. He asks me not to do things that I know are wrong even as I see others doing the same thing and seemingly getting away with it. He asks me to trust when I can see with my own eyes that the path leads to the base of an insurmountable obstacle. He asks me to help others carry their burdens and to joyfully give to others those things I value the most. He even asks me to suffer ridicule and to experience being trolled simply because I believe in Him. Sometimes it seems like He asks too much. Does it ever seem that way to you?

Even so, I want to join with that small group of people who, after being left behind in Israel, come to Jeremiah with a pledge to obey what God says, “Whether it is pleasing or displeasing…” (Jeremiah 42:6 NKJV). The reality of their situation and the difficulties they faced drove them to decide to take their dedication to God beyond the surface. Following their example, we should also pledge to obey everything that God asks of us. After all, Jesus is not just our Savior. He is our LORD. Knowing this to be a fact, how deep is your commitment to obey our LORD?