Bibledoorajar: Reluctance to Let the Lord Have the Last Word

     After the failure of faith to believe God to go in and possess the land, the people were dismayed to hear Moses say how upset their God was. Last night I was watching a favorite show on PBS and an elderly character needed to have cataracts removed from her eyes but she was filled with fear at the prospect of surgery. In a conversation with a friend she confessed not her fear but that surely God knew her dilemma and understood her reluctance even though it meant blindness. When gently chided by the friend, the character remarked that she had always spoken with God but she had sometimes been reluctant to quickly let Him have the last word. And, so it was with the people of Israel, they chose not to let the Lord have the last word until....They heard two messages from Moses.  God wanted them to continue their faith walk by  being obedient and that He was not with them at the present time to take the land. However, reluctant to let God have the last word, they made their plans to take the land only to be quickly squashed by the Amorites.
      In Bible class yesterday, we were discussing this very phenomena among Christians today. We were talking specifically about how as a body we are reluctant to quickly follow the guidelines of Christ on handling offenses (Matt. 18). We tend to make a plan for ourselves to deal with it (which is usually not adequate) and our actions usually lead to our getting a swift kick from behind having made matters worse. The teacher of the class pointed out that this was going on in the church at Galatia and the Apostle Paul told them to STOP IT because their view was no longer on eternity. They were choosing to bite and devour the very people they were supposed to love throughout eternity. STOP IT, This is what God wanted (and wants) from Him people. Stop being reluctant to let Him have the last word. He always has our best in mind if we will but yield to Him and His ways. This week I am determined to let God have the last word quickly. It's on my mind.