‘Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.’ Proverbs 3:7
Why did Jesus live and die?
He lived to introduce us to the new man, one that lives in righteousness and holiness i.e., a man that lives purely by God’s grace. God knew that people wouldn’t believe that life possible, so He lived it out, as a man. By His death, he made that life of grace accessible to all, not to some, to all.
From the Old Testament to the new, there are records of men who lived lives a lot of people think impossible. They lived by godly wisdom, which flows against the tide of that of men. Think about the sojourner who acquired wealth as he moved across lands, what about the slave turned prime minister, or the people redeemed from slavery, not by their might. In one story, a boy killed a giant with a stone, and in another, a prisoner of war became a king’s Chief Adviser. There were stories in which men were supernaturally sustained. Birds brought a man food, and a widow and her family lived through famine on next to nothing. A lot of those stories abound, then we have Jesus, that raised the dead and paid his tax from the belly of a fish. Note, these were all men, not characters from fiction, human beings.
Can we live sustained by God’s grace, depending on His wisdom alone? What are those fear factors that enable us to put God in the back seat to ensure that we work things out ourselves, because in our minds if we don’t sort them out, game over? What are the pictures or lies painted in our minds about problems, past, present and future, that take pre-eminence over God? The sad truth is that if we don’t bring them before Him and look them straight in the eye, they will make us keep the Redeemer in the back seat, while we (the false gods) keep tussling and thrashing about.
There is another way. Those lying pictures that keep our eyes trained on us and our lives are enabling us to live in our world, surviving on our own wisdom. Proverbs says, fear God. Let the fear of God be ever before you, let Him be your priority. Depart from evil or living in your way/wisdom/righteousness and submit to Him. The benefits are immense, and some are:
- Peace
- Health
- Grace – favor/covering
- The God-life that Jesus enjoyed
How do we start? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Go to the Father and lay those lies before Him, start with one, two, five, or all. Have them written down, so you don’t forget if that helps. It’s also important to note that you are going to your Father, not some judge, without feelings for you. This Father wants you to come, He wants to help, and He loves you.
‘But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ‘I Corinthians 2:9-10
Join me on my quest for another way, a better one.
Till next time, be transformed!!
Transformation Place 