Moment for Meditation, October 24, 2014 You Can’t Have It Both Ways “That ain’t right!” You’ve heard this phrase and perhaps have even uttered it a time or twelve yourselves. It usually involves some perceived wrong committed against you or a loved one. Today, I am speaking not of wrongs but outcomes that you [we] didn’t consider when taking a stand or starting on a course of action. Have you ever been given an ultimatum? How did you respond? Did you respond to the ultimatum after clear and deliberate consideration of the consequences, or did you respond to the giver of the ultimatum? In most cases, we respond to the giver of the ultimatum and when the consequences come home to roost, we shout, “That ain’t right!” But, it is right. Ultimatum given, consequences administered. The point is, if we are unwilling to do the thing that brings about the ultimatum in the first place, then, we should be able and willing to handle the consequences. Of course, we should consider the consequences first in order to know the level of our pending discomfort. This part of the process is usually overlooked. Our thoughts often stop at our choice to suffer the consequences, not the process of the consequence itself. When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Peter says yes, yes! And, YES!! Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat. Sounds like child’s play but I assure you, it wasn’t. Read Peter’s story and learn about his trials for yourselves. The Apostle Paul was sent out on many journeys where he was ill-received and beaten. Moses was called to lead God’s people to the promise land. He was charged with the task of leading people who wanted no part of the delivery process or Moses for that matter. Daniel was given a place of power in Pharaoh’s palace. Yet, his refusal to participate in one deed led to an ultimatum that landed him in prison. These are people who stood firm in the face of persecution with convictions to do the right thing. There are those however, who claim they are willing to stand up for the right thing but fail to actually stand for it. We all have that friend, relative, reflection in the mirror that professes to be filled with the Spirit to do what the Spirit wants but, when persecution comes, “That ain’t right!” comes rolling off the tongue. We want the good journey from God, the blessings of God and the benefits of completing our assignments God gives us, but we don’t want the pains of growth or the difficult and weary days that come with doing well. We don’t want to have to endure the attacks of Satan as he tries to stop of from living in the presence of our Loving God. We get bent out of shape when we face opposition to our good choices, sometimes, we even give up on our good deeds because we feel that we shouldn’t have to go through it if we are doing the right thing. Well, we can’t have it both ways. Either we are enduring the trials in order to get to the joy before us or, we are buckling under pressure and forgoing the joy because the trials are too hard. My prayer is that when we are considering the ultimatums issued to us this day, we first consider the ultimatum and, after careful consideration, we choose to press toward the joy of the Lord.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:50:12 +0000
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