God Lets Us Have Our Way
LETTER BY GRACE POUCH
God lets us — each of us and all of us — have our way.
God’s way is better. But on earth his authority is available, not forced.
In order for “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” to be a reality in our lives, we must surrender our little kingdoms — what each of us mostly has a say over — to God’s rule.
Surrender requires more than lip service. It requires a transfer of power — from us to God. This transfer usually happens bit by bit over a lifetime. Sometimes we take back territory and must be reminded of the blessing of letting God reign in that area of our lives again.
Jesus says we can’t have it both ways — pursue our kingdoms now while reserving a future citizenship in God’s kingdom one day. The kingdom we invest in now through how we direct our thoughts, time, talent, and treasure is the only kingdom we will inherit.
A kingdom of Me and Mine. Or a kingdom of Thee and Thine, where all I have belongs to God and is governed by the law of love.
Blessed are those who — by circumstance or choice — don’t get their own way. It’s good training! The good life isn’t a life of getting my way. That’s only good for me, and even that only for a moment. The good life is God’s rule. That’s good for all of us, and good forever. There is long-term joy and goodness in putting others first, in love through sacrifice, in sharing sorrows, in putting selfish aims to death.
The more I impose my way and get my way, the more the Kingdom of Me grows; it’s an ugly thing.
The more I embrace God’s way and don’t get my way, the more God’s Kingdom expands on earth and in me; it’s a beautiful thing.
Take my little kingdom and show me how to surrender it, Jesus. Let all my energy, my desire, and my focus go toward abiding with You now and pursuing Your goals now.
Amen.
Grace Pouch
Content Manager
P.S. Here’s a little psalm for America…
For the crestfallen and elated,
the fearful,
the hopeful,
the numb—
don’t let princes rob your peace,
don’t let heads of state have your heart;
trust in the Lord and do good,
live in the land
but dwell in the Most High.
– Brian Morykon
(Psalm 37, 146)
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LET’S DIVE IN...
CURATED BY GRACE POUCH
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1.
Of all the beautiful experiences that have shaped my life with God, the Renovaré Institute journey stands out as a huge leap forward. It ushered me into deeper communion with the Trinity and illuminated the path out of self-rule and into God’s kingdom by imitating Jesus. If you are looking for that kind of life-altering journey, join Renovaré’s Director of Education, Carolyn Arends, for a Renovaré Institute Open House on Tuesday, December 3 to learn about the program.
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2.
“We are all learning to be with God.” Here is a little inspiration from the 24 – 7 Prayer Movement for increasing the quality, quantity, and creativity of your conversation with God.
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3.
“Are we going to learn to say ‘No’ to the little tin gods of our modern nation States that try to call us into their blasphemous intertribal wars? … Prayer enables us to wage the peaceable war of the Lamb against all principalities.” Read Richard Foster on the power of prayer to bring us into a life of communion and kingdom-alignment.
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4.
Eugene Peterson writes, “Ways and means that are removed or abstracted from Jesus and the Scriptures that give witness to him amount sooner or later to a betrayal of Jesus.”
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5.
“Whatever I am doing, writing a paper, composing a book, I expect God to direct me. I expect there to be a movement in my life that is more than me.” Dallas Willard explains life in the kingdom of God.
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6.
A while back, we hosted a time of prayer for the country of Ukraine using a piece of artwork by a Ukrainian artist to center our attention as we prayed for God’s compassion to touch our hearts and the hearts of those in positions of power, that his kingdom way of peace would come on earth.
WORTH QUOTING
“If Christ is king, every thing, quite literally, every thing and every one, has to be re-imagined, re-configured, re-oriented to a way of life that consists in an obedient following of Jesus.”
– Eugene Peterson
The Jesus Way
(source)
TO CONTEMPLATE
Joseph of Arimathea embracing Christ (Deposition from the Cross)
Artist unknown 1190-1200
(source)
I love the story of Joseph of Arimathea (mentioned in all four gospels). Joseph had been a secret disciple of Jesus due to his political position as a member of the Sanhedrin. But after Jesus’ crucifixion, he stepped out of the shadows in a bold public display of devotion and personal sacrifice on Jesus’ behalf — asking Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body from the cross, and burying it in a tomb he’d purchased for himself.
What practical care for Jesus’ body (now represented in the Church) or what overflow of love for Jesus (expressed in our caring for others) might cost you social or political ostracism?
TO PONDER
Try using Brian Morykon’s “Psalm for America” (in the PS above) as a breath prayer on your car ride or walk today:
Inhale: Live in the land
Exhale: But dwell in the Most High