Tuesday,
February 21, 2023
The Lord says, “I will
guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” Psalm 32:8-9
God made us different from the rest of sentient beings (fish, animals, and
plants). God gave humans consciousness (awareness) of meaning and the
importance of intrapersonal connection.
More than merely an affiliation with our own species, God gave us an innate
sense of the purpose and worth of each other’s existence, as well as the
sacredness of all creation. And on top
of that gift God placed a requirement that we use all that awareness better
than a stubborn mule.
We humans are a particularly strange lot, especially in our lack of
intelligent choices. One would imagine humans
possessing sensory understanding, or (if you wish) ears like a mule , humanity might
pay better attention to our Creator’s instructions. That is so strange, considering God has given
us a promise (as the Psalmist clearly stated) of guidance to the pathway of a
better life. And it has been so from the
opening gun. Adam and Eve were told not
to dine on one particular tree…that lasted a half-second. Cain and Abel were told what to bring for a
worship offering. Cain completely ignored
God’s instructions, got angry with jealousy, and killed his brother for spite. If you’ve ever had the responsibility of a
parent, to make important choices for your child, you know first-hand what that
child will do when you say clearly, authoritatively, and lovingly: Child, don’t go near that road. In the next heartbeat he or she will be
dancing on the pavement!
We have ears to listen and, generally, turn them to a deaf side.
Occasionally, however, there is a revival of God’s Spirit, like the one currently in progress at Asbury University.
By
many social media accounts and news outlets, it isn’t a wild jumping-over-the-pews,
shouting goofiness. Rather, its calm
sitting in His presence, praying for each other, boldly trusting that waiting
before God for His next word is more important than classes, jobs,
spreadsheets, schedules, or anything else in which we dabble-away our
time. It is joy without giddy
foolishness. It’s healing of the spirit,
building of the spirit, and connection with God’s family. It is, frankly, koinonia,
the common Greek word used in the New Testament to describe how the real church
acts when they truly listen to God’s voice.
It is the combined atmosphere of community, communion, sharing, and deeply-held
intimacy.[1] This is the spiritual garden
where God’s Holy Spirit produces excellent fruit of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control[2].
For You Today
There are about 2,000 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper on
today’s topic, explore some of these:
Oh! What Joy and The Problem With Pharisees
Images: Title Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal
property of the author, or in public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted
from The New Living Translation©
