“Our Buddy in Heaven”

The black and white was tucked away off the road barely in sight, just past the sign marking a 15 MPH drop in the speed limit. As we drove past the classic speed trap, I sarcastically remarked about the police keeping us safe from those going 40 miles per hour. Bev challenged my attitude: “You have a problem with authority, don’t you?” Perhaps she is right. I know that I chafe under authority that is abused. I hate seeing power used to oppress others. I resist silly rules created to benefit a few at the expense of many. I do respect and admire those who use their authority in a way that brings great good for others.

There is an authority before Whom we all must yield! The Bible says, "Do not be stubborn, as (your fathers) were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. … If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” (2 Chronicles 30:8-9, NLT) These words were part of an invitation sent to ancient Israel and Judah by King Hezekiah who was attempting to lead a spiritual renewal. The king knew that the people ignored God’s law to their own peril, that their rebellion was inviting His discipline. The sin of that ancient people continues to this day. Contemporary Christian practice is long on grace and short on awe! We think of God primarily as our Friend and we read His Word like we would read a letter of advice from one of our ‘buds.’ He is not “our Buddy in Heaven!” He is “our Father in Heaven” whose Name is holy!

Our casual contempt for authority, which is an American as apple pie, directly effects how most of us relate to the Lord. The Ten Commandments are read as the Ten Suggestions. We are quite ready to hold our personal happiness in as high a regard as obedience to God’s directives. Somehow we think we can live as we choose and still enjoy the blessing of intimacy with our Father and the promises made to those who do what is right. And, we are foolish, even deceived. This principle of life is inviolable!
"Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." (Galatians 6:7-9, NLT)

Jesus spoke of two roads – one broad and inviting, one narrow and steep.
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT) Doing what I want to do, when I want to, how and where I want to, is easy. Even a child finds willful self-expression natural! Yielding to the authority of Christ, the Lord, runs counter to Self. It requires a prior choice to obedience that cannot wait for the critical moment at the fork in the road. True submission begins anew each morning when we present ourselves before our King humbly to acknowledge that ‘He is God and I am not!’

Disciple, are you inviting God’s corrective discipline by ignoring His will?
Or, are you planting the seeds that will bring a harvest of everlasting life by choosing obedience?

Prayerfully ponder this word from the Word, then submit yourself anew to Him.
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.
What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. …
These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock." (Matthew 7:21, 24, The Message)
_______________

Let me be a man
With a perfect heart,
Let me be a son
Who will please You, Father;
Let me be a child
Who reveals Your will
In all I do and say.
Fill me with Your Spirit,
Lord, I pray, that Jesus
Will be seen in all of my life;
Let me be a son
Who will please You, Father,
Let me be a man
With a perfect heart.

Fill me with Your Spirit
Lord, I pray,
That Jesus will be seen
In all of my life.
Let me be a son
Who will please You, Father.
Let me be a man
With a perfect heart.

Let me be a son
Who will please You, Father.
Let me be a man
With a perfect heart.

A Man With A Perfect Heart

Hayford, Jack© 1995 Annamarie Music (Maranatha! Music [Admin. by The Copyright Company])
CCLI License No. 810055