Listening Vs Stubbornness…Your choice
God IS Sovereign, but He’s not always heavy handed.
Now look, we men following Christ know that we get our ideas of WHO God is from the Bible, which is God’s self-revelation to us of who He really is. We don’t invent our ideas of God, we accept who God tells us He is.
That said, sometimes God reveals in the Bible that He can be very heavy handed in accomplishing His will, which is good and acceptable and perfect according to Romans 12:1-2. Want to see the heavy handedness of God? Well one of many examples in the Bible is how God deals with the Pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus chapters 1-14. Our God works Pharaoh over big time. God wins. That’s the way it should be. Don’t ever mistake Pharaoh for being a good man.
And don’t ever think God’s strong actions are wrong. How could a perfect and holy God do wrong? Let that sink in.
Point of fact: Had Pharaoh listened to God and turned from his ways everything would have turned out differently for him. (Ok there is a complex theological issue at play here but God gave the dude 10 chances to do things His way. He was consistently stubborn.)
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Now with His sons, sometimes God does wield a big stick. But most often He calls, teaches, encourages, and reasons with us to show us His way. Like the perfect Father that He is. When we refuse to listen, when we persist in our stubbornness, He often will simply pull back and let us experience what we want. “Ok, “the Father says, “have it your way.” I found this reality clearly taught as I read Psalm 81 today- only 16 quick verses.
Read the Psalm if you want before you read the rest of this.
Check out a couple of verses:
10 I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
Takeaway from my DAWG today: I need and want a strong Father who is always right and good and has my best interests wrapped up in His plan for everyone else on the planet. Doing things His way has never hurt me. Being stubborn and doing things my way has.
God chose you in Christ, that’s clear (read Ephesians 1 and 2). But you have the choice of seeing that He’s good to you in every way He leads us to live through His word and get in with His system, or you can do your system.
You and I can listen or be stubborn.
How did that work out for Israel?
How would stubbornness work out for you?
Father: Today I see again that Your way is invariably good and I want to invariably follow Your way. I ask for Your wisdom and power today to see what Your good is for me and others as I read Your Word. So supernaturally remove any stubbornness in me that would resist You! Let Your truth flow and be powerful through me today! All for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Pete Alwinson
