We humans are incredibly complex. We are also capable of endless surprises, mystifying decisions and astonishing turnarounds. Our mental gymnastics are equal to the physical gymnastics of a champion athlete. No wonder Jesus would not commit himself to those who only believed in him because of his miracles. He knew what was in human nature. (John 2:24, 25) Jesus saw short Zacheus perched in a tree and knew that hed worked out ways to compensate himself for his lack of height, and for many other things in life he had lacked. The dodgy taxman climbed down and confessed that he was ready to put his weighted scales back in correct balance. Life is not about what we lack physically but about our lack of spiritual stature. Its about God working in us the grace to put wrong things right. Jesus saw that the sum of a Samaritan womans life was false securities and failed relationships. Later she said that Jesus had told her everything I ever did. The big issues in our lives subsume the smaller ones. How can we know whats in us? We cant. Not until our reaction to a crisis reveals things about us wed rather not have known! Hezekiah was second only to David among the kings of Judah. In the first year of his reign he reopened the temple, purified it and cleansed the priests quarters. He went on to restore true worship, reinstate the Feast of Passover, cleanse the land of idols, and make provision for the priesthood. And when the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem, Hezekiah saw Gods power revealed in the slaughter of 180,000 of its soldiers overnight! But when visiting ambassadors from Babylon asked Hezekiah about the miracle God had done for him, the kings hidden pride quickly surfaced. God had left the king to test him, to know all that was in his heart (2 Kings 20:7-11 & 2 Chronicles 32:31). Surprise, surprise! The Lord knew that Hezekiahs heart held secret pride, but the king himself did not -- until through their flattering words the visiting Babylonians surfaced it. The good thing that came out of all this was that Hezekiah still had time to repent of his pride. Maybe we should ask the Lord to reveal anything that might be hidden deep in us, just in case it surfaces and causes us trouble. So we can repent of it. Better now privately than in the Resurrection, before everyone at the Judgement Seat of Christ. We humans may be complex but Gods ways of making us more like His Son Jesus are simple.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 00:26:22 +0000
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