Because we rarely release
ownership of our lives on our own (even if we want to), God organizes a crisis
to "assist" us in making a full surrender to the lordship of Jesus. Now, this
is certainly not the pathway for every man, but in my experience it is for most
of us. Suffering compels us to seek the God that success makes us think we
don't need.
It could be a marriage crisis, a
crisis with our children, a health crisis, a money crisis or any one of dozens
of other problems that drive that last bit of willfulness out of us.
For me, it was a business crisis.
When I was a real-estate developer, I took big gambles. When a major recession
hit, I was overleveraged and my world started to crumble. One day, while
sitting in the rubble of my collapsing business, I was struck by an idea that I
believe is the greatest lesson I've ever learned:
There are Two Gods
There is a God we want, and there
is a God who is. They are not the same God. The turning point of our lives is
when we stop seeking the God we want and start seeking the God who is.
I had received Christ, but it
dawned on me: Morley, what were you thinking? Did you really think any amount
of reinventing God in your imagination to be the God you wanted Him to be would
have one iota of impact on His unchanging nature and character?
It finally sank in. I had wanted
to change God, but God wanted to change me. He wanted me to follow Jesus with
my whole heart: wherever, whenever, whatever. That's what He wants for all of
us - a full, total, complete surrender to the lordship of Jesus.
So as we do our year-end/new-year
reflections, let's each ask God for His grace to lead this fully surrendered
life in 2014. To Him and for His glory. Amen!
Patrick Morley
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