When circumstances in our lives change we get mad, because we are people who embrace status quo and reject change. When things are status quo, they are comfortable, predictable, and familiar. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s manageable, and we like manageable.’
We also want to keep things manageable, familiar and predictable in our spiritual lives. But Christ is living in us, making transformative changes, and moving us forward into deeper knowledge and understanding of God. God has hard things to say to us, teachings that He needs to apply to our spiritual lives so we can grow deeper in grace and truth.
When He shakes things up in our lives we are more likely to give Him our attention. This is what happened to some of Jesus’ disciples (not the Twelve) in John 6:52-69. Specifically, these followers argued about Jesus’ statement, “This bread is my flesh” (John 6:51). They asked “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). These followers thought they had God figured out and then Jesus presented them with this difficult teaching. The followers said to Him, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60) Many of these followers did not accept the hard teachings of Christ and they “turned back” (John 6:66) to their manageable understanding of God.
The hard teachings of Christ till and prepare our souls for seeds of grace and righteousness and truth. The changing of circumstances, when life is out of our hands, make us pliable in His hands. Don’t manage God; let God manage you.
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.
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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD
Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2