2 Samuel 23:3-4
Our Mighty Rock,
the God of Jacob, told me,
“A ruler who obeys God
and does right
is like the sunrise
on a cloudless day,
or like rain that sparkles
on the grass.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A
dear friend of ours shared a story during a recent worship service
about a foster child who is staying with his wife and four children.
Amy* arrived on a Tuesday evening before the first weekend of open
season deer hunting. My friend and his 10-year-old son had plans to go to “deer
camp” and hunt – and they did this. But when evening came, the father
told his son that they had to pack up and go home. “Can’t we spend the
night?” the son asked. They were having such a good time, and the
“pull” to stay was strong. But the boy’s father said, “No…this is Amy’s
first week with us, and we need to go home and spend time with her and
the rest of the family.”
When the father/son duo got home, the
dad found a note from the new visitor. She expressed how
grateful she was to have been placed in such a wonderful, loving
home…and she ended it by telling my friend, “I love you.” After just a
few days in his home, she had formed a bond and a respect for this
Christian father and his leadership in the home. This same little girl
told my friend’s wife, “I knew you would be a nice mother, because your
daughter is so kind.”
I share this to say that “leadership” and
“rulers” come in many forms…even parents. And the difference between
the leadership of mothers and fathers who obey God and do right and
those who don’t is critical. In many ways, you and I are “leaders” or
“rulers”. We may not realize it, but we are. Some of us are “leaders”
at work or in a school setting among our peers. Some of us “rule” our
family and manage the household. Others juggle responsibilities in the
community, at church, and in personal relationships. And we all have a
choice…we can obey God and do right, or we can try things our way and deal with the consequences.
Some
fear that operating in obedience to God will represent a surrender of
control. And they would be right - but not in the way that you think.
When we surrender to the rule of God and allow Him to be our Supreme
Leader, our decisions and choices are guided by His hand. And quite
frankly, God does a far better job of this than we ever could! So in
essence, obedience to God and doing what is right FREES us to
live with confidence, peace and joy. We leave the “heavy lifting” to
the One who can truly handle it…and we are released to move forward and
do what needs to be done with a sense of certainty and conviction that
we are on the right track.
My friend would have loved to stay in
the “deer woods” with his son for another day. But he knew that God
wanted Him to go home and be a dad to his entire family. And the
rewards that resulted from his obedience were incredible. We all feel
the tug to go our own way and do things the way we want, from time to
time. But when we listen for God’s voice – and follow His directives,
the results are “like the sunrise on a cloudless day or the rain that
sparkles on grass.”
When we show honor and respect to God, He blesses us immeasurably. Aren’t you ready to get in on some of this?
©2015 Debbie Robus
*name changed
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