"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with smooth stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars." Isaiah 9:10
Ever tried to go your own way instead of God's? For me, it's an everyday struggle to lay my so-called "best-laid" plans at His feet, as well as to resist snatching them back up once He reveals what He actually has in mind for me!
We walk a dangerous path when we choose not to ask God for His direction and will for our lives. The book of Proverbs even goes as far as to say, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (14:12 AND 16:25. That's right, it appears twice. Must be important then, huh?). Let's face it, God knows what's best for us. The sooner we figure that out and apply it in our daily lives, the better off we'll be and the closer we'll be to Him.
In the ninth chapter of Isaiah, God's people walked the path of arrogance to the point where prophecies of death and destruction were foretold about them. In verse 10, they ignore a message from God that says they are too prideful, and then attempt to rebuild structures using different materials, trading smooth stones for bricks and cedars for sycamores. The Message translation puts it this way: "Things aren't that bad. We can handle anything that comes. If our buildings are knocked down, we'll rebuild them bigger and finer. If our forests are cut down, we'll replant them with finer trees." Rather than turn back to their God who has delivered them time and time again, they ignore His warnings and instead try to prove that they can take care of themselves without His help. All we have to do is read further to see that this arrogance greatly angers God and they encounter the grave consequences of their pride and of their unwillingness to depend on Him. They confirm the truth that we read two different times in Proverbs; their way certainly leads to death.
I'm not saying that if you decide to go play tennis instead of reading your Bible, God's going to strike you down right there on the court mid-serve. However, I am saying that there are always consequences to ignoring God and instead doing what we think is right. We may choose a more precarious path that causes us to stumble, we may walk the path alone instead of with others who could have benefited from our companionship, or we may find ourselves at a dead end and completely lost. Gratefully, God is very merciful and more often than not He disciplines like a father would His child (Deuteronomy 8:5). We serve a God of love, and He disciplines us out of His love for us: "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19). Allow Him to teach you through His discipline so in time it will become easier and more second-nature to ask Him for His direction before you take a step. Remember that our ultimate goal in everything we do should be to glorify God; He would know best of all how to help us glorify Him, so why not ask Him first?
"Lead me, O Lord...make straight Your way before me." Psalm 5:8
"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8
"Commit to the Lord whatever You do, and Your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
Ever tried to go your own way instead of God's? For me, it's an everyday struggle to lay my so-called "best-laid" plans at His feet, as well as to resist snatching them back up once He reveals what He actually has in mind for me!
We walk a dangerous path when we choose not to ask God for His direction and will for our lives. The book of Proverbs even goes as far as to say, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (14:12 AND 16:25. That's right, it appears twice. Must be important then, huh?). Let's face it, God knows what's best for us. The sooner we figure that out and apply it in our daily lives, the better off we'll be and the closer we'll be to Him.
In the ninth chapter of Isaiah, God's people walked the path of arrogance to the point where prophecies of death and destruction were foretold about them. In verse 10, they ignore a message from God that says they are too prideful, and then attempt to rebuild structures using different materials, trading smooth stones for bricks and cedars for sycamores. The Message translation puts it this way: "Things aren't that bad. We can handle anything that comes. If our buildings are knocked down, we'll rebuild them bigger and finer. If our forests are cut down, we'll replant them with finer trees." Rather than turn back to their God who has delivered them time and time again, they ignore His warnings and instead try to prove that they can take care of themselves without His help. All we have to do is read further to see that this arrogance greatly angers God and they encounter the grave consequences of their pride and of their unwillingness to depend on Him. They confirm the truth that we read two different times in Proverbs; their way certainly leads to death.
I'm not saying that if you decide to go play tennis instead of reading your Bible, God's going to strike you down right there on the court mid-serve. However, I am saying that there are always consequences to ignoring God and instead doing what we think is right. We may choose a more precarious path that causes us to stumble, we may walk the path alone instead of with others who could have benefited from our companionship, or we may find ourselves at a dead end and completely lost. Gratefully, God is very merciful and more often than not He disciplines like a father would His child (Deuteronomy 8:5). We serve a God of love, and He disciplines us out of His love for us: "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19). Allow Him to teach you through His discipline so in time it will become easier and more second-nature to ask Him for His direction before you take a step. Remember that our ultimate goal in everything we do should be to glorify God; He would know best of all how to help us glorify Him, so why not ask Him first?
"Lead me, O Lord...make straight Your way before me." Psalm 5:8
"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8
"Commit to the Lord whatever You do, and Your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
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