Daily Devotional for December 11, 2015

Ecclesiastes 3:14
I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugeterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

This morning, our three-year-old Nathan was trying to put some “bristle blocks” together.  These are toothed plastic blocks that forge together to form objects and shapes.  We had attached a rectangle to four wheels, and Nathan wanted to add another rectangle atop the first one.  But instead of snapping this block into place where it belonged, he kept trying to put it over a wheel.  He got really upset because this wouldn’t work – and even more upset because I couldn’t make it happen!  I kept trying to tell him, “This is not the way it goes together. It won’t work this way.”  But Nathan was having none of it.

When I read this scripture, I pictured us – God’s children – standing before Him with our own ideas of how things should be.  We show him the “blocks” of our lives and tell Him, “This is how I want to do this.” God says, “That’s not how it’s going to work.”  And the argument commences.  Often, we are as stubborn as a three-year-old boy.  We kick and stomp and demand that God do things our way…that He add this or subtract that and make everything fit our desires.  And God just shakes His head in disappointment over our foolishness.

It’s time to grow up!  We need to get a grip on God’s power and autonomy over our lives.  We need to learn to operate in “holy fear” (respect) for God and His indisputably perfect ways.  We need to worship Him…because He deserves our praise and adoration.  And we need to trust Him to meet our every need…because He is the only One who can!

The time has come to stop trying to “put the blocks together” like we want…and trust that God has our best interests at heart – always and in all ways.  When we recognize that He truly does know what is best for us, we are free to stop questioning and start really believing.  Then we can begin to truly live in God’s amazing love and grace – and He can work in and through us. Isn’t this our goal as Christian disciples? Don’t you think it should be?


©2015 Debbie Robus

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