Like a Child

The other day I was invited to share at another church in town. Tamy worked the night before so she was unable to go with me, but she laid out a specific outfit for the kids to wear because she worried I would take the kids out in public in dirty clothes. Such is my wife's faith in my fashion sense...

As we were getting ready to go, I noticed Zane wasn't wearing the shorts and shirt that I had dressed him in (the ones Tamy had laid out).

I asked, "Zane, how come you aren't wearing the clothes I dressed you in?"

"I'm wearing pants, because you're wearing pants, Papa!" he exclaimed.

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St Paul tells us to "watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents."

We are designed to take our cues from God, just the way my son takes his cues from me...

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As St James says, true wisdom for life comes from somewhere else. It is not something we just muster up ourselves, or find on our own; we must learn it. Wisdom must be received!

Do we have ears to hear and eyes to see? Like a child with his father, are our arms wide to receive?

God Doesn't...

"God doesn't call those who are equipped, rather, He equips those He has called..."

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"When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities."

The apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus

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God isn't really all that impressed with a 'fast horse,' but rather a horse who is willing to be trained. (Psalm 147:10-11) A football player who runs a 4.2 second 40-yard dash, but has trouble determining which end zone he should run towards, is of no help to his team whatsoever.

Similarly, a person who has tremendous knowledge of scripture, or wonderfully effective communication skills, or wields charismatic influence over others, is of no service to God (and is a danger to him/herself and others). If they are not humble before God, receiving His wisdom and power instead of offering God theirs, then there is as much good to come from their efforts as the blazing fast running back who unwitting heads the wrong way down the field...