(Mark 10:41-52)
41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:
Ha! So we see that the other disciples were indignant- displeased... because why? They might have been angry that James and John got to Jesus before they could with this request. They might have felt self-righteous, thinking that if anyone should get those positions of prominence, it should be them. Otherwise, why would Jesus have called them over for this important teaching moment?!
Our natural- SINFUL- inclination is to control. Just to get our own way, people will say, do, implement and attempt various strategies, at home, at work, at school, and yes, sadly even at church. People rarely say what they actually mean. And while everyone can find themselves playing games, even with "good" intentions, some have it down to an art form, and some implement their manipulation tactics out of a learned habit. Even if they have been formed as coping skills to survive, these "instinctual" reactions will not be healthy... UNLESS one's instinctual reactions involve going to God for His help and direction.
An astute parent will realize that their babies very quickly learn how to manipulate. There is the sincere cry of fear, discomfort and hunger, but then there is the selfish cry, just to get Mommy running over to fuss, dote and coddle. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with just being with our children just for the sake of being with them. But even babies have to learn that Mom and Dad have other duties, and they have needs as well. In fact, an important task of Mom and Dad is to train up and equip their children, so that they are able to leave home, and live their lives!
Just like life isn't all about ourselves (the parents), life is NOT all about themselves (the babies). If a baby has already learned how to manipulate, the baby is "old enough" to start to learn patience and how to trust Mom and Dad. Constant instant gratification is actually not the epitome of love. Sure, the doting parent will see themselves as a servant, and with sincere love, we should desire to demonstrate sacrificial love. But let's put this into a healthy perspective.
As a parent (or friend), we have to ask ourselves why we might be doting on someone. Is it because it makes us feel better somehow? Is it to earn or gain more control over the other person? Are we secretly training others to depend on us, or are we teaching others to depend on God?! Because what we might be doing under the "guise of love", could be doing way more harm than good!
We know that God loves us! Now, when we pray and ask God for something, does God always give us instant gratification? Only sometimes. But then, most often in fact, as the perfect, heavenly Father, who knows what is best for us, He will say, "No," because what we request would be harmful to us, and/or He has something much better in mind for us. He will sometimes say, "Just wait." There are so many reasons why it might be best for us to wait. In the meantime, God wants and asks us to rest in Him, rely on Him, and trust in Him that He knows what He is doing.
After all, the Lord God, came in flesh to be our ultimate example to follow, as having the heart of a servant and a slave, who is the very definition of agape love (which is sacrificial, selfless and unconditional)! And remember, because God is love, He never forces anyone to love Him back, and He never forces anyone to obey Him. Yet, God will never enable us in our sinful behaviors. He doesn't tell us what we want to hear, He tells us, in love, what we need to hear. And in His great patience, (another example for us to follow), He never expects us to be perfect. He extends to us His grace, because He KNOWS we are going to make mistakes, and so, His arms are always opened wide for us to run back to Him... because we realize that doing things His way, is so much better, and always works!
So very quickly then. How can we avoid plotting and playing games of control and manipulation?. It helps to stop thinking about what others can do for us, and start praying and asking God to show us ways that we can serve Him, and serve others. And in this, our only motive should be to demonstrate God's love, and to give God all of the glory!
No comments:
Post a Comment