God's prophet, Elijah, once posed this to the children of Israel: "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him. But if Baal, then follow him." (1Kings 18:21)
I think this question was also written for me. The context is a bit different, for I am not wavering between worshiping the LORD, (Jehovah) and another god. I am certain that the LORD is God. I know that He is the creator of all that is, and as such deserves my reverence. Additionally, He is the only Savior of my soul, and therefore is deserving of my love. The emphasis that caught my attention in this verse made it read like this:"If the LORD be God, Follow Him." This is what I make of it...If I know that "the LORD is God" in all the glory that could possibly be captured in that word, why do I continue to weigh decisions by what my extended family, friends, etc. will think, instead of being open to His will? (Even as I type, the stubborn part of my brain is muttering things like, "Yes, but 'safety is found in a multitude of councilors.' And, "But you DO want God's will in your life! If you post this, everybody will think that you aren't following Him..." See...there it goes again, trying to make me wonder what you guys will think of me instead of following Him first. :) Usually, (I hope), another part of my brain is able to kick in and squash this kind of thinking before it goes too far and the decision is decided by better reasons than "opinion polls". What bothers me, though, is that if I know that the LORD be God, why do I waste time worrying about the reaction of PEOPLE, who are not God? (I welcome all comments, but I'm not expecting a painless, 3 step process for mortifying the flesh...just thought you might want to look inside my brain. :)
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2 comments:
You are absolutely not alone in this struggle. For me it is a constant battle that I hope I'm learning more about how to win as time progresses. I, too, think, why on earth am I so consumed by what others will think/say/do when Jesus Christ himself knows ALL ABOUT me, including the parts I would want to hide from these people, and he STILL thought I was worth dying for. Shouldn't I spend a little more time caring about what HE thinks of me/my behavior and how I either am in line with or not in line with what glorifies and brings honor to him?
Galations 1:10
Hi Alesha,
So glad you shared your thoughts. I've found that admitting struggles doesn't make my brothers/sisters in Christ think less of my faith but draws me closer to them and lets them know how to pray for me and build me up in my faith. So no painless 3 step process ideas from me, just thankfulness that you are sharing!
And also, I think sharing your struggles helps others who admire you to remember that none of us is perfect, that we all have to rely on God. I've always admired you and thought your faith and walk came easily to you, but now I see more clearly that what I have admired was God's work in you. It's not always easy to do His will but I think he wants an honest effort from you and He will take care of the rest. Love to you.
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