Verse for Today

Monday, February 13, 2012

The One-Year Bible - 9 February 2012

Readings:
Exodus 29:1 - 30:10
Matthew 26: 14-46
Psalm 31: 19-24
Proverbs 8: 14-26

Matthew reading: Sometimes one gets the impression that the Christian walk is about blind obedience to God, yet this account of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane shows that even our Lord had struggles with being obedient to God.  Knowing that going the way of the cross would involve much physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering, Jesus was asking his Father whether it would be possible not to go this route.  In fact, Matthew's Gospel records that Jesus prayed this prayer three times, reflecting a desperate hope that he would not have to go through such suffering and pain.

But note that I did not say that Jesus had a problem with obeying God, for the passage records that in each of Jesus' prayers, he ended off in an attitude of submission and obedience: "Not my will, but your will be done".  Yet the lesson for us is that often obedience comes as a result of great inner turmoil and struggle, particularly when obeying God comes at great cost.

I believe, therefore, that Jesus is showing us here that obedience to God is often born of struggle and turmoil, and that it is not wrong for us to experience these kinds of struggles.  Anyone who is calling upon people to blindly obey without considering the cost of obedience is probably heading up a cult - it's doubtful that such blind obedience is something asked of us by God.

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