11.29.07

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. - Proverbs 22:4.

It is obvious that there are many who have no fear of the Lord or humility before the Lord - at least by their actions it would appear that way. For example:

Angelita Sanchez was mad because her boyfriend who was a deputy sheriff had broken up with her. In response she did what most God fearing people would not do - Angelita stole her ex-boyfriend’s sheriff’s patrol vehicle. Now she faces charges of grand larceny of an automobile and this may be a surprise…driving under the influence.

Then there is the head of Rome’s traffic and parking police enforcement Giovanni Catanzaro who likes to park his Alfa Romeo Brera wherever he likes. Possibly, he acted that way because he has no fear of God or man. He apparently prefers no parking zones where he displays a handicapped parking permit. As a result, Giovanni is no longer head of traffic and parking enforcement because the mayor has removed him from that position.

There appears to be many who have no fear of God or of man. However, there are as we can see consequences for that kind of behavior.

Are you on the throne of your life or is the Lord? Who is in control, who is running your life? Every time I have tried to ignore what God wants and have done what I wanted I have had problems. God’s way may not be easy but it will be a thousand times better than the alternative. What would have happened to some of the great servants of God in the Bible if they had tried to run their own lives?

Consider Abraham - God called him to go forth to a land that he had never seen before and promised to make him a great nation. Abraham was living comfortably in the civilized city of Ur; but he gave it all up. What would have been the consequence if Abraham had just settled in there in Ur? Maybe he had a nice three-bed condo. To follow God he would need to live in a tent the rest of his life. If Abraham had not followed God what would have happened? Most likely God would have chosen someone else and Abraham would have missed out on one of the greatest adventures imaginable. He would also have missed out on countless blessings.

Noah - God called him to build a huge ship not even close to an ocean, if there were oceans. Through his obedience, he and his family were saved. The consequence of his not obeying would have been drastic. The result would have been that Noah and his family would have lost their lives because God could have easily started all over.

Joseph - it was not of his free will that he was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and carried to Egypt. Joseph was a prideful person when he was a boy but through these experiences, he learned humility. It was Joseph’s decision to resist the advances of Potiphar’s wife. It was Joseph’s decision to interpret the dream for Pharaoh and give all the glory to God. That decision resulted in his becoming the second most powerful person in the known world. The consequences if Joseph had given into temptation, or of refusing to interpret the dream, or to have taken the glory for himself would have been catastrophic. Joseph would have missed out on saving his people and the people of Egypt. God may or may not have raised up someone else to take his place.

Before we pass up what God wants in our lives let us consider the consequences of disobedience. We cannot see what is ahead but God can. He wants the very best for each of us and He can do a much better job of running our lives than we can. So, who is running your life?