The Devotional JAS009

The Devotional

Comment:

If you have ever trained to wrestle, box or be efficient in any self-defense art then you know that it is not an overnight turnover. In other words, you cannot expect to be good at these competitions or tactics by desire alone. You must be willing to spend long and painful hours in exercise, in sparring with other like-minded people and you must expect that injury could happen at any time. Now there is another aspect of defense that I left out, some folks are plainly street savvy or smart. Powerful people in their own right, being able even to outdo the one who has trained in all proper ways to be advantageous in battle. Jacob, Esau’s brother was such a person. Jacob was greedy for the birthright that belonged to Esau, yet Esau being a trained hunter and by the deceit of his brother Jacob gave up his birthright for the desire to satisfy his physical hunger. Jacob’s ability to wrestle men out of what he wanted carried him to a lonely night at a place called Jabbok, a ford near the Dead Sea. There Jacob wrestled with the angel of the LORD and was prevailing. That is until the LORD struck Jacob’s muscle causing the muscle to shrink and the hip bone to pop out of joint. This was a wakeup call for Jacob, one minute it looked as though he was winning the battle, the next minute, he is in trauma and pain. When God choses the battle is over. Well read the even in Genesis 32:22-32 and see the full picture.

Challenge: James 4:1-10

This street smart wrestling with the people around us is not something we do not know about. We wrestle with children, neighbors, brothers or sisters and so on. In fact, I am convinced that we would rather wrestle with everyone we meet than to be like Christ in their midst and by the power of the Holy Spirit be willing to turn the other cheek. ‘You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But, “I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” Matthew 5:38-39.

Until we come to know and understand this command of the LORD to love the enemy we will never understand that our pride over the circumstances of life is what drives us to the dead end street of senseless wrestling, heartache and ruined lives. The harder we wrestle, the more we seek to murder. You say; well that is a little outside my envelope of operation… I would never murder anyone! Oops, don’t be too sure of that. Every time we curse, malign or gossip, we murder the character of the other person.

Then we find ourselves going to God in prayer, “LORD they just don’t get it”! They never get it! I am only trying to help and whine! Whine! Whine! We go crying out to the LORD to fix the unfixable. I say STOP it! God cannot fix the speck it the others eye, until you allow Him to remove the PLANK in your own eye. Matthew 7:1-6 and especially verses 5 and 6. Now if you are a warring person like Jacob, these are hard words to digest. Yet each of us need for the LORD to make us lame to the sin of lusting to be right, before we can remove the splinter from our brother’s eye.

The scripture never says anything that is vain and the Holy Spirit of God will never use vain tactics reconcile the circumstances of life to reveal the glory of God in a prideful, lustful way. The Holy Spirit is zealous and jealous to protect the Glory of God in us and if necessary He will apply the pressure of a dislocated hip, or anything that will get our attention to give us more grace in every circumstance. We may come away crippled, physically or mentally, but we will be enriched spiritually when we humble ourselves under the graceful hand of God.

Therefore stop striving with God by using the street smart tools of the devil, draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners and purify your hearts from double mindedness. Allow God to train you in godliness. Stop laughing and crying over things you have no control over. Fix your mourning and weeping by being submissive (humble) to the Will of God and the LORD will lift you up.