As Christians there are two dangerous choices we can make. We can choose to become complacent and we can choose to become prideful. Either choice is deadly to our spiritual lives.
In Amos 6, God is calling His people out on their complacency and their pride. In their relationship with God, both of those got in the way.
God's people had become complacent because the place they were living was relatively safe and their needs were provided for. They didn't have a need to depend on God for daily provision the way they had before.
That complacency led to another problem . . . pride. As they depended less on God, they became prideful in heir abilities to look after themselves.
Complacency and pride easily happen in our lives too. When we read the warnings about them spoken to Israel, we should take them seriously ourselves.
When life is hard and we're barely hanging on, we more easily depend on God. We see and admit our need for help and our inability to it ourselves.
But, when life is good, when things seem easy, we do exactly what Israel and Judah did. We forget our need for God and begin to depend on ourselves. We get complacent because things feel safe and we're being provided for. Then we begin to think we can it all ourselves. In our pride, we begin to depend on our own strength and ability to meet every need we have.
When we do this, when we become complacent and prideful, we eventually end up in a place where we have a choice. The same as Israel and Judah did when the prophets brought God's message of repentance to them. We can refuse to repent, keep going the way we were in depending on ourselves. Or we can choose the way of repentance and humility.
The story of Israel and Judah provides us with a clear picture of the results of refusing to repent. God didn't stop loving them, but He also didn't protect them from the consequences of their choices.
God's warnings through His prophets of the dangers of complacency and pride, are warnings for us as well. The dangers for us are the same as they were for Israel and Judah.
I know how easily I can struggle with these sins in my life. When I read Scriptures like Amos 6, I'm also reminded of the seriousness with which I need to approach them and deal with them in my life.
Showing posts with label second chance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label second chance. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Sunday, March 30, 2014
An Invitation to Join Him
The account of Jesus' disciples returning to fishing and then Jesus appearing to them is one I've read often. But, as God does so often, when I read John's account of it recently, God had something to say through the familiar words.
I've summarized the account here, but you can also read it for yourself by clicking here: John 21:1-25.
The scene is familiar. The disciples know Jesus has risen. They've seen Him already. But, they still seem a bit unsure about what they're supposed to do next.
Peter decides to go fishing. Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples decide to join him. They spend the whole night fishing and catch nothing.
In the morning, Jesus is on the shore. He tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and when they do, they catch an abundance of fish. The disciples return to shore and have breakfast on the beach with Jesus.
I've always been struck by how the disciples returned to what they know when they are unsure of what else to do. They returned to their old ways and to what was comfortable and familiar to them.
Learning from the Disciples' Encounter with Jesus
At first glance, it would be easy to get down on the disciples for doing this, and I have in the past. But then I realize just how often I have done the same thing - how often we all have.
Very often after a significant time in our lives of being with Jesus, we simply go back to doing what we have always done. It feels familiar, comfortable, and safe, so we go back to it, because we don't know what else to do.
It's in those moments when Jesus shows up again to remind us that he had something different in mind for us, just like He did for His disciples.
The disciples had spent a night doing what was familiar and safe - but doing in unsuccessfully. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus, it's often unsuccessful for us if we try to go back to what we used to do. Because it's not what we're supposed to be doing anymore.
A Reminder of What we Should be Doing Now
When the disciples are still out unsuccessfully trying to fish, they are met by Jesus. Jesus will meet us in the middle of our unsuccessful attempts to do what we used to do as well.
It's something truly simple. Jesus meets them for breakfast. But I think in that simple act, Jesus reminded them that He had something more for them now.
It's a reminder we often need too, because after the excitement of our life-changing encounter with Jesus wears off, we're tempted to forget about what we're supposed to do and go back to what we used to do.
An Invitation of Significance
When I read of this encounter of Jesus and His disciples, I'm reminded of the significance of what Jesus has invited us into. Jesus' invitation in our lives to join Him means we don't get to go back to what was comfortable and safe. He's invited us into something new and it won't be possible for us to go back and have it be what it once was. And Jesus will show up to remind us of that when we need it - our eyes have to be open to see Him and our ears to hear Him.
In His conversation with Peter during this time, Jesus reminds Peter of what he was called to and reminds him that following his call won't be easy. Jesus indicates what Peter's life would be like and how it will end.
Our Calling
Just because something you fee you've been called to is hard doesn't mean it wasn't from God and we should go back to what is safe, familiar, and comfortable. Jesus' life is an example of a calling that was hard. Here, Jesus tells Peter that his calling will also be hard.
That means our callings may be hard sometimes too, but that doesn't mean we got it wrong and we should go back to what feels familiar, safe, and comfortable.
In those times when what we are called to do after our life-changing encounter with Jesus gets hard, we might be tempted to do back to the familiar place, the safe place, the comfortable place we were in before Jesus called us.
But, we can't go back - it won't be the same. The call we each have will be different. But when it's from God, He will give us what we need to persevere even when it gets difficult. He will show up to remind us of the call on our lives when we need it.
I've summarized the account here, but you can also read it for yourself by clicking here: John 21:1-25.
The scene is familiar. The disciples know Jesus has risen. They've seen Him already. But, they still seem a bit unsure about what they're supposed to do next.
Peter decides to go fishing. Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples decide to join him. They spend the whole night fishing and catch nothing.
In the morning, Jesus is on the shore. He tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and when they do, they catch an abundance of fish. The disciples return to shore and have breakfast on the beach with Jesus.
I've always been struck by how the disciples returned to what they know when they are unsure of what else to do. They returned to their old ways and to what was comfortable and familiar to them.
Learning from the Disciples' Encounter with Jesus
At first glance, it would be easy to get down on the disciples for doing this, and I have in the past. But then I realize just how often I have done the same thing - how often we all have.
Very often after a significant time in our lives of being with Jesus, we simply go back to doing what we have always done. It feels familiar, comfortable, and safe, so we go back to it, because we don't know what else to do.
It's in those moments when Jesus shows up again to remind us that he had something different in mind for us, just like He did for His disciples.
The disciples had spent a night doing what was familiar and safe - but doing in unsuccessfully. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus, it's often unsuccessful for us if we try to go back to what we used to do. Because it's not what we're supposed to be doing anymore.
A Reminder of What we Should be Doing Now
When the disciples are still out unsuccessfully trying to fish, they are met by Jesus. Jesus will meet us in the middle of our unsuccessful attempts to do what we used to do as well.
It's something truly simple. Jesus meets them for breakfast. But I think in that simple act, Jesus reminded them that He had something more for them now.
It's a reminder we often need too, because after the excitement of our life-changing encounter with Jesus wears off, we're tempted to forget about what we're supposed to do and go back to what we used to do.
An Invitation of Significance
When I read of this encounter of Jesus and His disciples, I'm reminded of the significance of what Jesus has invited us into. Jesus' invitation in our lives to join Him means we don't get to go back to what was comfortable and safe. He's invited us into something new and it won't be possible for us to go back and have it be what it once was. And Jesus will show up to remind us of that when we need it - our eyes have to be open to see Him and our ears to hear Him.
In His conversation with Peter during this time, Jesus reminds Peter of what he was called to and reminds him that following his call won't be easy. Jesus indicates what Peter's life would be like and how it will end.
Our Calling
Just because something you fee you've been called to is hard doesn't mean it wasn't from God and we should go back to what is safe, familiar, and comfortable. Jesus' life is an example of a calling that was hard. Here, Jesus tells Peter that his calling will also be hard.
That means our callings may be hard sometimes too, but that doesn't mean we got it wrong and we should go back to what feels familiar, safe, and comfortable.
In those times when what we are called to do after our life-changing encounter with Jesus gets hard, we might be tempted to do back to the familiar place, the safe place, the comfortable place we were in before Jesus called us.
But, we can't go back - it won't be the same. The call we each have will be different. But when it's from God, He will give us what we need to persevere even when it gets difficult. He will show up to remind us of the call on our lives when we need it.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The God of Second Chances
"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time . . ." (Jonah 3:1)
I love what this verse says about God and second chances.
Jonah had been told by God to go to Ninevah and preach against them. He went as far as he could in the other direction because he didn't want to go preach to his enemies.
But, even after running from what God told him to do, Jonah wasn't disqualified from doing what God had asked him to do. God gave him a second chance to do what he had originally been asked to do.
God spoke to Jonah again. God gave Jonah the same job again. And the second time Jonah followed through with what God said.
And the good news is that God offers the same opportunity to us. Just like Jonah, we often run the other way from things God tells us to do. When we don't want to do those things, we will look for ways not to do them.
But, if we realize the error of our ways and stop running from God, He gives us a second chance too. We get the opportunity to do what God says the second (or third or fourth, or 100th) time.
We serve a God of second chances. The requirement to get that second chance is that we stop running from what God is saying.
I love what this verse says about God and second chances.
Jonah had been told by God to go to Ninevah and preach against them. He went as far as he could in the other direction because he didn't want to go preach to his enemies.
But, even after running from what God told him to do, Jonah wasn't disqualified from doing what God had asked him to do. God gave him a second chance to do what he had originally been asked to do.
God spoke to Jonah again. God gave Jonah the same job again. And the second time Jonah followed through with what God said.
And the good news is that God offers the same opportunity to us. Just like Jonah, we often run the other way from things God tells us to do. When we don't want to do those things, we will look for ways not to do them.
But, if we realize the error of our ways and stop running from God, He gives us a second chance too. We get the opportunity to do what God says the second (or third or fourth, or 100th) time.
We serve a God of second chances. The requirement to get that second chance is that we stop running from what God is saying.
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