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Listen while you read: "Follow Me The Master Said"1 (Lyrics) |
Luke 22:50-51 – And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him. (NIV)
My son received several Lego sets for his last birthday: a boat, a race car, and a train track. My husband and I helped him build each set per the instructions. Once the sets were finished, my son proceeded to dismantle them until all the pieces were scattered everywhere. The sets were then unrecognizable. In making his own creations, he lost the original models.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter rushed to rescue Jesus from being arrested by the soldiers, and in the process, cut off a servant's ear. Peter wanted to forge his own plan of action on Christ's behalf. He believed that he knew best, yet Jesus knew that the Father had sent Him to die for the sins of the world. Peter's actions showed that he was distracted from God's plan, so Jesus rebuked him. Jesus remained focused solely on His mission.
Even when I want to walk with God, I often start living by my own rules and my own desires. I think, This tactic may work for peace, or This next idea will give me purpose. When I recklessly disregard His commands, God rebukes me: "Your way is not My way." He teaches me to seek Him while I'm in painful circumstances. He calls me to yield my stubborn will to His plan, for I cannot see the end results as He does. His original design will always be better than my cheap imitation, for with Him is love, acceptance, and grace. I achieve none of these through my meagre efforts.
As Jesus' death opened the way to resurrection and life, so our surrender to God will give us His fullness of joy and peace in purpose. Let's do it! Pray with me:
Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that I rush ahead of You, ignoring Your plans. Help me to trust that You are at work in my life. With You, I stay on the path of life. Thank You for Your patience with me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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Thanks for the encouraging words, Kathleen.
Great advice, thank you, Kathleen. God bless!
Certainly something to think about. Thank you for sharing.
So very true Kathleen. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings.
Good morning, Kathleen,
Thank you for reminding me of those important truths.
Good thoughts. Now I need to figure out how to test my plans to see if they are God’s plans before initiating. Thanks.
Great prayer! Must pray that often!
Bless you,
(BC Canada)
Hello
Thank you for the reminder to stay focused. So easy to get side-tracked.
God bless.
Hello Kathleen. I can certainly relate. It is so easy to get distracted from the task in hand.
Thank you so much for your message that points us in the right direction.
Blessings
(Ontario, Canada)
I so enjoyed your devotional this morning as your words are “right on”. Yes, it is so true that we get impatient and decide to make our own decisions and the results would be so much better if we would wait upon the Lord’s answer. His timing and path for our life always works for the best outcome. Blessings for your writing.
Thank you for your message today, Kathleen. We are stubborn people I do believe. As for your son, if he is still behaving the same way at 30, you may have a problem. For now, however, although I don’t know his exact age, he is probably on par with many kids his age!
(Texas)
Dear Kathleen,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and from your experiences. You’re so right that it’s hard not to convince ourselves that our thoughts “must be“ His thoughts. Waiting on the Lord, there’s peace.
Blessings,
(BC)
Good morning, Kathleen,
I definitely understand your message of not always being on the path that God has chosen for me because I have just moved forward how I think I am supposed to. It is so true that it is because I have been distracted from keeping in touch with God’s plan. Devotionals help me to see this when I have not taken the time to understand what God wants and knows. The example of Peter trying to protect Jesus is a good example of something, to a human, feels like the right thing to do for a friend, but it is not part of the plan that God has for Jesus.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts to help others to pray for guidance so that Jesus will help us to fulfill His plan for us so we will be at peace and filled with joy. Blessings.
Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us.
Blessings.