Yield
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8
As the gentle waters lapped the lakeshore, a very black crow strutted importantly back and forth a few feet in front of where I sat enjoying the early morning quietness. Suddenly another crow landed nearby and strode purposefully towards the first bird. As I watched I thought that I was about to witness a show of strength as the intruder looked set to take control of this territory. I could not have been more mistaken.
The newcomer marched right up to its mate and tucked its head right under his chin in a sign of what looked like total submission. I watched fascinated, as the first bird, as if on command, began to groom this bird’s head, perhaps picking lice or scratching an itch. The process went on for sometime, possibly until the one felt his irritation had gone and his grooming complete, then off he went.
This little incident got me thinking about how it is necessary for us to come and bow before the Lord and allow Him to ‘groom’ us. Sometimes that may take the form of allowing Him to cleanse us from sinful ways, other times we may come asking for help to overcome our weaknesses or irritations, or it may be allowing Him to discipline us and get us on track again when we’ve sinned and gotten off His road. We need Him to ‘work on us’.
In the United States the signs that we ‘down under’ call “Give Way” signs are called “Yield”. We know that the danger of not giving way or yielding in traffic can put us in a very dangerous position. Sometimes it causes crashes, but at the very least, some very near misses. Staying in a yielded place is also very important for the Christian. God’s word tells us that He works with the humble but keeps His distance from the proud (unyielding). Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6. To not yield to God can cause us to have a spiritual ‘crash’. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 18:16.
God did not design or create us to live our lives apart from Him. We were always meant to be in communication with Him, not to be independent from Him. He wants to be a part of our lives even down to the smallest details, He loves to be involved. For us to do other-wise, to run our own lives trying to “be good enough” to make it into heaven, is to reject God’s loving call to us. That is walking in pride.
The doorway to heaven and to the throne of God has been opened wide by Jesus Christ but we need to bow our heads and yield to His way of thinking and doing things and leave our own good works behind. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for trying to do things my way, please help me to learn how to yield to you and allow you to be increasingly involved in my life. Amen
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8
As the gentle waters lapped the lakeshore, a very black crow strutted importantly back and forth a few feet in front of where I sat enjoying the early morning quietness. Suddenly another crow landed nearby and strode purposefully towards the first bird. As I watched I thought that I was about to witness a show of strength as the intruder looked set to take control of this territory. I could not have been more mistaken.
The newcomer marched right up to its mate and tucked its head right under his chin in a sign of what looked like total submission. I watched fascinated, as the first bird, as if on command, began to groom this bird’s head, perhaps picking lice or scratching an itch. The process went on for sometime, possibly until the one felt his irritation had gone and his grooming complete, then off he went.
This little incident got me thinking about how it is necessary for us to come and bow before the Lord and allow Him to ‘groom’ us. Sometimes that may take the form of allowing Him to cleanse us from sinful ways, other times we may come asking for help to overcome our weaknesses or irritations, or it may be allowing Him to discipline us and get us on track again when we’ve sinned and gotten off His road. We need Him to ‘work on us’.
In the United States the signs that we ‘down under’ call “Give Way” signs are called “Yield”. We know that the danger of not giving way or yielding in traffic can put us in a very dangerous position. Sometimes it causes crashes, but at the very least, some very near misses. Staying in a yielded place is also very important for the Christian. God’s word tells us that He works with the humble but keeps His distance from the proud (unyielding). Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6. To not yield to God can cause us to have a spiritual ‘crash’. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 18:16.
God did not design or create us to live our lives apart from Him. We were always meant to be in communication with Him, not to be independent from Him. He wants to be a part of our lives even down to the smallest details, He loves to be involved. For us to do other-wise, to run our own lives trying to “be good enough” to make it into heaven, is to reject God’s loving call to us. That is walking in pride.
The doorway to heaven and to the throne of God has been opened wide by Jesus Christ but we need to bow our heads and yield to His way of thinking and doing things and leave our own good works behind. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for trying to do things my way, please help me to learn how to yield to you and allow you to be increasingly involved in my life. Amen
posted by Daydrops For You at
12:10 AM
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