Who are You Depending On?
Today my husband and I celebrate 18 years of marriage together. Happy Anniversary, Dan! It's not for depending upon each other that we've made it this far together. It is only by depending on the unfailing love of Christ.
When I was a little girl growing up, my father told me often that I had quite an independent streak. He lovingly reminded me that this quality could prove to be either good or bad, depending upon the manner in which it was tempered.
Over time and on various occasions, my father found opportunities to remind me that God’s ways were not our ways—that His thoughts were not our thoughts. In short, I was to have a servant’s heart and follow the example of Christ in finding complete dependence upon God. When my father spoke, I would listen and take every word to heart.
Yet, time and again, gradually my selfish and sinful independent nature would rear its ugly head—reminding me of all the lessons I had not learned and that I knew better how to respond to a given situation than the Master. Each time I acted on my own, I was defeated. With tail tucked, I would return to the Bible and read:
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Lamentations 3:25 tells us, “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”
Hosea 12:6 says, “So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him.”
And, Matthew 19:14 tells us, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’”
May you choose to depend upon Christ today and always--with the dependence of a child, and may you have the best week you've ever had in your life.
When I was a little girl growing up, my father told me often that I had quite an independent streak. He lovingly reminded me that this quality could prove to be either good or bad, depending upon the manner in which it was tempered.
Over time and on various occasions, my father found opportunities to remind me that God’s ways were not our ways—that His thoughts were not our thoughts. In short, I was to have a servant’s heart and follow the example of Christ in finding complete dependence upon God. When my father spoke, I would listen and take every word to heart.
Yet, time and again, gradually my selfish and sinful independent nature would rear its ugly head—reminding me of all the lessons I had not learned and that I knew better how to respond to a given situation than the Master. Each time I acted on my own, I was defeated. With tail tucked, I would return to the Bible and read:
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Lamentations 3:25 tells us, “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”
Hosea 12:6 says, “So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him.”
And, Matthew 19:14 tells us, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’”
May you choose to depend upon Christ today and always--with the dependence of a child, and may you have the best week you've ever had in your life.
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