July 07, 2021: Loving the Things of This World Says We Have Hostility toward God. Let Us Choose God.

Our God is a jealous God. He does not want only parts of our lives; He wants all of us. When I came to accept Jesus into my heart, my life, I invited Him in as my Savior, and I thought as my Lord as well.

But as my relationship with my Lord grew, I came to realize that I gave Him control of only certain rooms of my life. I wanted to control those other areas of my life. As I came to realize that I still had control of these other areas, God never forced me to give them up. He quietly released the full control back to me.

James 4:4-5 (NKJV)

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

It was during this time of my control that God allowed me to make all the decisions I wanted to make, without His interference. I did not lose my salvation; I lost the peace in my heart I once had. The Lord never left me, you might say, I left Him. I chose my way, instead of His. Did God abandon me? No! He just let lose the "rope of protection" that He had around me so that I would fall flat on my face and eventually turn back to Him with my whole heart.

My choice of disobedience went on for 35 years of my Christian life. What a wasted time in my life. But I thank God now that He and I are once again enjoying a time of trust and fullness with one another.

The lesson I came to learn is that we cannot hide or run from God. Once we invite Him into our hearts, our lives, we become a child of His. He is forever our Father. And as a Father, He is bound to care and love us, no matter how difficult that becomes. We can choose to either "humble and absolutely surrender" all of ourselves to Him or choose to live a very miserable and unhappy life. By humbling ourselves, or surrendering, to God, we are acknowledging that we want what God wants for our lives. We are accepting His direction for our lives and accepting the things He gives us or does not give us. He knows what is right for us.

James 4: 6, 10 (NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” v. 10: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up".

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

To walk humbly before God, means to be fully surrendered to God, moment-by-moment, everyday praying for His direction for your whole life. It all works "hand-in-hand" as we humble ourselves and surrender daily to Him.