“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36 NLT)
A scene in Matthew 16 challenges me today as I ponder our need to walk humbly, yet triumphantly as God’s children. Peter has a mountain top experience as Jesus applauds him for recognizing Him as the Messiah. You can read about it in Matthew 16:17-19. Two verses later Jesus tells the Disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, that He would be killed, but on the third day rise from the dead.
Then the same Peter that hours before had had a revelation from God and was praised by Jesus, blurts out in Matthew 16:22: “’Heaven forbid, Lord,’ he said, ‘This thing will never happen to you!’” So, the Lord says to him, “Get away from Me, Satan!”
Sometimes we’re dragged kicking and screaming from “First Class” to “Coach” because we struggle to discern between God’s Spirit speaking to us and our own desires. We want more than anything to know the Lord and to walk closely with Him, yet the longings of our own desires blind us to what God has for us. The painful trials we must endure, as Peter did, to get a fresh, vibrant, and eternal perspective on the Master’s plans.
In some ways we love “Coach” living. Sure, we don’t have as many options, but neither do we have anyone constantly hovering over us wanting to “serve” us. Living “First Class” has demands. It costs more because it offers so much more.
We love that we can recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, that He comes to forgive, save, and deliver us, but when He starts talking about denying ourselves and picking up our cross, we cringe because He’s beginning to infringe on our “rights.” But here’s the deal – salvation isn’t simply about us, it’s mostly about Him.
Why did He come to die in the first place? For much the same reason He chose Abraham and set aside the people of Israel – that He might have a people unto Himself. People who would walk with Him, submit to His authority, listen to His voice, obey His commands, enjoy His fellowship. Just as the children of Israel enjoyed peace, and tranquility as they walked faithfully with Him, they also suffered and were enslaved by others when they didn’t.
We want to “buy our ticket,” then set it aside and continue living as we have, but that’s not God’s plan. We “buy our ticket,” then commit to walking in His ways and operating under His guidelines. The analogy fails because we don’t “buy” anything in our walk with the Lord. He’s paid the price and offers us the “ticket” at no cost to us except the commitment of our total beings being lived under His rulership.
The “perks” are amazing, but they are not without “cost.” We fail to experience our “First Class” benefits when we fail, like Peter, to see things from God’s perspective. Intimacy with God is a gift that He gives freely to those who will open their hearts and minds to Him without reservation. As long as we continue to have “strings” attached, conditions to our obedience, we will rob ourselves of the privileges He longs to share.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 