Telling the Potter What to Do with the Clay

Given the opportunity, can you imagine watching a legendary painter like Van Gogh, Picasso or da Vinci and constantly asking, “Why did you do that?” “Why did you use that color?” “Why did you put that object there in your painting?”

 

Or suppose you were observing Michelangelo in the process of creating his famous sculpture known as of “The Pieta,” depicting Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus Christ after His crucifixion. Would you challenge ‘Mike’ on how he was positioning the figures, or the expressions he was putting on their faces?

 

Or suppose you had a chance to interact with a famous author in the midst of writing a classic novel, let’s say Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment or Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Would you question why certain characters were being developed as they were?

 

Probably not. Because creators, no matter what type of artistry they pursue, boast what’s called “creative license.” As the originators of their works, they’re entitled to fashion them however they choose. I don’t know if geniuses like Renoir, Michelangelo or Dostoyevsky had friends invited to critique their work, but ultimately the artists themselves had the final say.

 

So, it’s curious that many of us feel comfortable in questioning how God has designed and oversees His creation. This happens at the macro level, when we look at what’s going on around the world, be it severe weather and natural disasters, corrupt politics, heinous crimes, devastating diseases, or crazy goings-on in society. ‘What in the world is going on, Lord? Are you ever paying attention?’

 

It’s even more common at the micro level, looking at our own lives and questioning what God is doing or isn’t doing. It might be a serious health situation we or someone close to us is facing: ‘Why me?’ ‘Why are you allowing this to happen to…?’ Or it might be something involving work – being unemployed and having difficulty finding a new job, being passed over for an expected promotion, being stuck in a job that feels like a dead end.

 

Maybe someone we know seems to get all the breaks, while we encounter one setback after another. Worst of all, the person isn’t a follower of Christ while we’ve been striving to remain true to our faith. Where’s the justice in that, right?

 

We could list countless other scenarios in which we’re tempted to challenge our Creator, wondering if He knows what’s going on or even cares. The old question, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ and vice versa is one that keeps popping up.

 

If you’ve ever had moments like these, take heart – you’re not alone. These concerns are as old as time. We see this repeatedly in the Bible, especially the Psalms. We see King David pleading, “Answer me when I call to You, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1). And is Psalm 10:1 we find similar questions: “Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?”

 

While it’s human nature to wonder why God allows certain things to occur and seems to prevent other things, the Scriptures offer a straight-forward answer: Because He’s God – and we’re not. Acknowledging the idea of questioning artists about choices in their own creations, the Scriptures use the metaphor of a potter and the clay.

 

For instance, in Jeremiah 18:3-6 we read, “So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.’”

 

Another prophet, Isaiah, uses the same analogy: 

“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker – one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” (Isaiah 45:9).

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

 

In case we might think these admonitions were intended only for the nation of Israel, we find the apostle Paul making an equally strong statement in the New Testament: 

“But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why did You make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?" (Romans 9:20-21).

 

Maybe the questions for our Creator are of a more spiritual nature, such as why someone else has the gift of evangelism or preaching and we don’t. Or why a friend has such a wonderful singing voice while if we even try to sing in the shower, the tiles start falling off?

 

It wouldn’t have made much sense to ask Leonardo da Vinci why he didn’t give the Mona Lisa a full smile. In a far more profound sense, while we might not always understand what God is doing, we need to trust that His plan is perfect. As Paul wrote about spiritual gifts, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).

The Bible teaches that the Lord is sovereign and we’re not. He’s the Potter and we’re just the clay. It’s important to remember that. 

Prayer – Last Resort or First Response?

Among our family members we have two first responders – a county sheriff’s deputy and a paramedic who works in a community fire department. I admire them both, especially because I’d be totally unqualified for either job. Having to be out on the streets and not knowing what kind of unpredictable situations await requires someone who remains calm under pressure. That’s not me. 

 

Folks like these called first responders for a reason – when there’s a crisis or an emergency, you don’t call your best friend, your favorite elementary school teacher or your accountant. You want someone who’s highly trained to deal with the situation, whether it’s a crime that’s been committed or someone suffering from a serious injury or illness.

 

Most of us who were riveted to the TV screens on Sept. 11, 2001 will never forget the images of first responders bravely rushing to see how they could help people trapped in lower Manhattan’s iconic World Trade Center towers. As soon as alerts sounded, police, firefighters and emergency workers responded. They definitely weren’t the last resort. While news commentators and government officials were struggling to make sense of the unprecedented acts of terrorism, those brave souls were already on the scene.

 

Pivoting to a spiritual perspective, we also have an invaluable resource that we can turn to in times of crisis – prayer. However, instead of a first response we often treat it as a last resort.

 

It’s freezing outside and we realize the furnace isn’t working. Or we hit the ignition on the car…and nothing happens. Or someone close to us hasn’t been feeling well and the doctor gives a grim diagnosis. Or we’re going through a personal struggle that seems to have no easy resolution. How do we typically respond? 

 

Maybe we don’t panic – or maybe we do. What most of us typically do is either attempt to power through the situation on our own or try to figure out who to call that might be able to help. It’s only when virtually all other options have been tried that we remember the adage, “When all else fails, pray.”

 

But is that the sequence we should follow? Certainly, if we or someone we know is facing a health crisis, we should probably dial 911 pronto. But prayer should also be an immediate response. It’s not a resource we utilize only while attending worship services or hold in reserve until every other alternative has been exhausted.

 

Prayer is many things. It’s the primary way we can communicate with God. It’s how we can praise Him, confess our sins, express gratitude for all He has done and will do, and present our needs and concerns to Him. But it’s also designed to serve as preparation for whatever the Lord has in mind for us to do. As we see in the Scriptures, it’s intended to be our first response. Not a last resort.

 

There’s no greater example than Jesus Christ. No one in history ever faced a more demanding schedule or more stressful existence than Him, and yet He always found time to pray. In the gospel of Mark, we see this from the beginning of His earthly ministry.

 

Jesus had spent the entire previous day ministering to people, healing the sick and diseased, and driving out demons. He could have justified sleeping in the following morning, but instead we read, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed” (Mark 1:35). Without even leaving a note, He just went off while His followers were finishing up a good night’s sleep.

 

Prayer was also one of the final acts Jesus did before His betrayal by Judas Iscariot and the events that led to His crucifixion. Going to the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples, He instructed them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Matthew 26:36). Three times Jesus engaged in agonizing prayer, knowing what lie ahead for Him – pausing only to check on his weary, sleepy disciples in between.

 

The human mind can’t wrap around the biblical truth that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. But we do know He struggled and experienced pain, just as we do. How could He cope with such a daunting mission, knowing a wooden cross on a hill called Golgotha loomed in His immediate future? The gospels inform us that prayer was foundational for everything He did – not something that He kept aside until absolutely necessary.

 

What about us? The challenges and stresses of our days might be dwarfed by what Jesus endured, but starting off each day with prayer rather than waiting until we reach a crisis point is a wise practice.

 

I struggle with prayer like most people but have developed a habit that at least helps get my mind focused on the right direction as each day begins. I pray the reminder from Psalm 118:24 that, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” That offers reassurance God is with me and goes before me each day. 

 

And I also offer a prayer of thanks for the gift of another day of life, recognizing that my heart’s still beating, directing blood through my body; there’s air in my lungs; my mind is working; my limbs are functioning; and I have my senses – most of them, anyway.

 

So, we all can be “spiritual first responders,” praying before we start a new day – as well as throughout the day, heeding what 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches, to “pray without ceasing."

Are You Really Who You Think You Are?

Years ago, I arrived at a spiritual turning point. It had been about a half-dozen years since committing my life to Jesus Christ and I was working full-time on the staff of a Christian ministry. But something wasn’t right. 

I’d read through the Bible several times, had memorized lots of verses, and could talk “Christianese” as well as anyone. Outwardly I might have appeared on the right track spiritually. But two of the verses I had learned troubled me.

 

One was 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The other was Galatians 2:20, which declared something similar: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

My problem was despite having accumulated considerable Bible knowledge, I was still struggling with the same areas of sin I had before becoming a believer – including anxiety and anger. I was trying hard to overcome them but didn’t seem to be making any progress. If anything, it was like taking a step or two backward.

 

I didn’t feel like the “new creation” the Bible talked about. And if Christ was supposed to be living in me, why was I so often acting like the same old knucklehead I’d been before praying to receive Him into my life? The thought kept recurring that maybe I was fooling myself – and others. Maybe I was like the folks Jesus had described, going through the motions without truly knowing Him as Lord and Savior. People to whom He would say, “I never knew you; depart from Me” (Matthew 7:23).

 

Perhaps you’ve been there. You might have wondered why living the so-called “Christian life” seems so much harder than it’s supposed to be. The first time I heard a preacher declare, “The Christian life isn’t difficult to live; it’s impossible to live,” I thought, ‘You’ve got that right!’

 

Then one October weekend I was assigned to report on a Christian businessmen’s event in Minneapolis, Minn. I stayed in the home of a man named Loren and his wife. You could call it fortuitous, serendipitous or coincidental, but I’d call it part of God’s plan for me. A divine appointment.

 

Loren and I spent hours during our free time discussing what he termed “the real you from God’s perspective.” The point, he said, was to focus on what the Lord says about us in the Scriptures rather than what we think or feel about ourselves. 

 

Look at it this way: Weeks after the wedding, the groom or bride might wake up one morning and think, “I don’t feel married.” Perhaps not, but in wedding ceremonies they don’t say, “I now ask you to feel like husband and wife.” Nope. They say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” It’s a fact, asserted in public before witnesses – and there’s a marriage license to prove it.

 

In the Scriptures, we’re repeatedly told what’s required to become members of God’s holy and eternal family. John 1:12-13 declares, “Yet to all who received [Jesus Christ], to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 

 

Did I truly receive Christ as my Savior and Lord, accepting His gift of forgiveness and eternal life? If my answer was yes – and it was – then it didn’t matter how I felt. What mattered was trusting in what God says in His Word.

 

Other passages confirm this: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). And in Titus 3:5 we’re told, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” 

 

The Scriptures teach there’s nothing we can do – not anything – to earn or deserve God’s love and acceptance. It totally by His grace and mercy, receiving what we don’t deserve and not receiving what we do deserve.

 

During my discussions with Loren, other verses I had been studying started making sense. For instance, Romans 6:4, a passage we often hear when someone is baptized, states, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” I might not have been feeling like I’d been given a new life spiritually, but if I believed in what God says about me in the Scriptures, it was true nonetheless.

 

Some verses later it adds, “In the same way, count [reckon] yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Whether I felt that way or not, the Bible says I’m “dead to sin” – no longer enslaved to it – and have a new spiritual life through Christ’s Spirit living in me.

 

How often have you heard someone say, “Well, I’m just a sinner, saved by grace.” That’s true in a sense, and it sounds quite humble and contrite. But we need a different mindset. Because 1 Corinthians 1:2 explains we’re “called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It says we’re saints! If that’s true, then a more accurate perspective is that we’re “saints who sin.” How we see ourselves – who we think that we are – can revolutionize how we approach life as Christ’s followers. As it did for me.

 

Romans 12:2 puts it this way: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We live in a world in which many trust only their feelings, but we’re called to trust not in feelings but in God’s ‘eternal verities’ – becoming transformed as we renew our minds to believe and act upon what He has revealed about us in His Word.

Recognizing the Myth of the Greener Grass

Have you ever felt envy toward someone – a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, maybe a member of your church? If you can honestly say you haven’t, I’m envious of you. I suspect we’ve all envied others from time to time. Maybe they seem more successful, their car or home seems nicer than ours, their marriage seems picture-perfect, their kids always seem well-mannered, they take more exciting vacation trips, or many other reasons we can think of.

There’s even an adage that describes this common problem of feeling envious toward others: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Actually, it might be better stated, the grass always seems greener….” Because more often than not, seems is the key word. Appearances don’t always represent reality.

 

One of the first books I co-authored, with my friend Ken Johnson, was Pursuing Life with a Shepherd’s Heart. Ken shared experiences he and his family had while managing a “hobby farm” in Minnesota. The primary animals on the farm were sheep, and they were curious critters. There was even a time when they got caught in the greener grass trap.

 

One summer had been particularly dry and all the little farm’s pastureland had been used up. Ken, his wife and kids collaborated in building a temporary fence that ran near the side of their house. Once the fencing was completed, they let the sheep into the area to munch on the untouched grass. The family retreated to the house for lunch.

 

Not long afterward, Ken glanced out the window to check on how the sheep were doing. What he saw was all of the sheep lined up along the fence, heads stuck through it and straining to reach the grass on the other side. Ironically, in the process, they were ruining the grass right underneath their hooves.

 

This is a funny story, but it illustrates that fixation on “greener grass” is no laughing matter. J. Allen Petersen actually wrote a book about it, entitled The Myth of the Greener Grass. In his book Petersen focused on how to “affair-proof” a marriage, emphasizing how the temptation to look yearningly outside one’s marriage is flirting with disaster. Marriages often fail because one or both spouses deceive themselves by thinking how much better things would be if they were out of the marriage or married to someone else.

 

God understood this tendency when He gave us the Ten Commandments. The last of His “top 10” was, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17). Even though the commandments were given to Moses thousands of years ago, human nature hasn’t changed with the passage of time.

 

Maybe the ‘greener grass’ isn’t someone other than one’s spouse. But as Gilda Radner’s character on Saturday Night Live, Roseanne Roseannadanna, used to say years ago, “It’s always something!” We might feel envious when a colleague receives a promotion and we don’t. We attend a party at someone’s house and find ourselves envying their furniture, giant-screen TV, or beautiful deck overlooking the valley. Or we arrive for Sunday worship after fussing over something in the car and we see the couple that seems to have everything all together. ‘Why can’t we be like them?’

 

This is one reason the Lord gave us the commandment about not coveting what others have. Being envious or jealous accomplishes nothing, it greatly diminishes our appreciation for what we do have, makes us want things that may not be as they appear, and leaves us feeling miserable and discontented.

 

Writing to believers in ancient Philippi, the apostle Paul wasn’t referring to a shiny chariot someone else had or a more stress-free lifestyle. He had more pressing matters to command his attention, including being wrongfully imprisoned. However, after expressing gratitude for people concerned about his well-being, he wrote:

“…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13).

 

That indeed is the secret – trusting in Jesus Christ and being grateful for whatever He sees fit to give us. And not wallowing in self-pity over what He hasn’t chosen to provide. 

 

As another apostle, Peter, wrote, “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). The Lord knows better than we do what we need – and what we don’t. So, if we should find ourselves gazing longingly at the ‘greener grass’ nearby, whatever it is, we need to remember He indeed has given us “everything we need for a godly life” and be content with that.

Living Like There’s No Tomorrow

Decades ago, theologian Francis Schaeffer authored a book that asked, How Should We Then Live? This remains a valid question today, although it would be difficult to reach a consensus on the right answer. But whether we realize it or not, we’re offering our own answers by how we approach each new day.

“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” I don’t remember when or where I first heard that, but it’s true – simplistic as it seems. We worry about what will or could happen tomorrow, then before we know it, ‘tomorrow’ has suddenly transformed into today – and there’s a brand-new tomorrow to fret over.

 

Not one of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Regardless of our age, all we’ve got is today. We can choose to dwell on our yesterdays; we can reach for the future like trying to grasp the just-out-of-reach brass ring on a merry-go-round, or we can focus on today and decide how to go about living it. 

 

One way of looking at it would be to, “Live like there’s no tomorrow.” But even that’s up for interpretation. Some would take that as license to indulge in whatever practices and pleasures they please. Like the old advertising slogans, “Grab the gusto” or “You only go around once.” This approach might provide brief excitement and gratification, but thrills fade quickly. Then what?

 

A better approach, I believe, is to recognize each day as a gift from God. We can rejoice at having been given another chance to enjoy His creation, whether it’s billowy clouds in a bright blue sky, vast expanses like the Grand Canyon, a baby’s laugh, or a beautiful field of wildflowers. We can revel in relationships, appreciating cherished family members and friends. And we can strive use and further develop the talents, experiences and passions we’ve cultivated over time.

 

It’s not wrong to dream about what we’d like to do in the future. We can make plans, whether for the weekend, next week, next month or next year. But all we have for certain is today – the next minute, the next hour. We all know people who no longer have that.

 

Recently my high school graduating class held another reunion. I wasn’t able to attend this one but did receive a report afterward and saw photos from the event. Out of our class of 305, about 45 alums were able to participate.

 

It was fun to look at the updated images of old classmates, even if I didn’t recognize many of them. (The passing years have a curious way of changing our looks.) But one photo was sobering. It was of a poster entitled, “In Remembrance,” listing classmates known to be no longer with us. The list contained 94 names – nearly one-third of our class.

 

Most had passed away in recent years, but others had died decades ago, including two who lost their lives in combat while serving in the Vietnam War less than one year after graduating. I still remember having spent time with some of them in class, performing in the high school band, or at school events.

 

I don’t mean to sound morbid. It’s just a tangible reminder of an old Latin saying, “Tempus fugit” – time flies. When we received diplomas marking the end of our high school years, we all felt excitement and wonder, and maybe some nervousness, not knowing what the future held. I doubt many of us understood then that every new day would indeed be a new gift, undeserved but available either to use productively or squander in vain pursuits.

 

The Scriptures provide reminders of this. Writing to believers in the ancient city of Ephesus – yet very applicable for us in the 21^stcentury – the apostle Paul admonished: 

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light…and find out what pleases the Lord…. Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:8-16).

 

This doesn’t suggest time itself is inherently bad. However, time has a disconcerting habit of racing by quickly and we can’t recapture it. We all have different talents; we don’t all have identical material resources. But regardless of affluence, age or social standing, we each have the same amount of time – 24 hours, 1,440 minutes every day. So, we should be about, as another translation expresses it, “redeeming the time.”

 

In James 4:14 we read, “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist [a vapor] that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” So, getting back to the question, “How should we then live?”, what are we going to do with the time allotted?

 

Living like there’s no tomorrow isn’t necessarily bad; it can be a very positive thing. Yes, we can have fun or relax at times with no particular goal in mind. But life’s most fulfilling when it’s being invested – lived intentionally, not simply spent. We can best do this by determining to engage in worthwhile endeavors.

 

The apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Another apostle, Peter, urged us to live following the example of how Jesus lived, ultimately giving His life for us as the once and for all atonement for sin. His life, without question, was filled with intention. Our response? “Consequently, [the Christ follower] does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).

 

When we awaken each morning, perhaps it would be good not only to thank the Lord for another day, but also to ask, “How would You like me to use it?”

Yielding Our Rights Away Isn’t Easy

When I was living in New Jersey, we called them “circles.” Elsewhere they’re called “roundabouts,” little islands of land in the middle of a busy intersection to expedite traffic flow. Instead of four-way stop signs that are too often ignored, at roundabouts drivers are expected to yield to approaching traffic. 

 

The trick is determining who’s got the right-of-way. Even when certain it’s you, it’s wise to proceed with caution in case another driver approaching the roundabout thinks differently. Sometimes it’s necessary to yield even when it’s within your rights to keep going.

 

Before these traffic “merry-go-rounds” were created, yielding was still an important part of driving safely. One of the laws of physics is two objects can’t occupy the same space at the same time. So, in addition to familiar red hexagonal stop signs, red or yellow triangular yield signs were placed strategically. Their purpose – to effectively warn drivers that vehicles might be approaching from another direction and if so, let them go first.

 

On today’s highways it’s obvious yielding isn’t a natural human tendency. Drivers speeding down the roadway are apt to squeeze into any available space rather than yield, even if it gains them only one car length and shaves perhaps three seconds off their arrival time.

 

Roadways aren’t the only places where we might yield to others. Entering a building, for instance, might prompt us to yield to someone who’s arrived at the door the same time. Sometimes it might be an act of kindness to yield in the grocery store line to a customer with only a few items to check out when we have a full cart. Such common courtesies, however, are often disregarded in favor of, ‘I got here first. After me, you’re first.’

 

In the political sphere, representatives sometimes “yield the floor” during a hearing to others who have pertinent contributions for the discussion. (Although in today’s adversarial climate, that’s increasingly rare.) On TV talk shows we see unyielding participants insistent on proving what they have to say is far more important than anyone else’s.

 

The concept of yielding is vital to what the Bible teaches. We live in a world where everyone seems to be demanding their rights. Our Constitution even includes the Bill of Rights, amendments that specify fundamental rights guaranteed by law. But in God’s economy, being a Christ follower often means giving up our rights.

 

Instead of stating we are to yield, however, the Scriptures use another term many people find equally bothersome: Submission – or submitting.

 

Even as children, the concept of submission rankles us. There’s the story about a little boy who refused to sit in his car seat. He didn’t care if it was for his own good or that the law required it. He just wasn’t going to sit down.

 

Finally, the father stopped the car, turned around and insisted that his son sit, or he’d face consequences when they arrived home. Finally, the headstrong little tyke complied. But after his father resumed driving, he muttered, “I’m sitting down on the outside – but I’m standing up in the inside.” He might as well have been wearing a sign, “Will Not Yield.”

 

As we grow older, the circumstances change but our unyielding, submission-averse mindset doesn’t. Whether at work, in our homes, or in everyday activities, we resist being told what to do. We want things on our own terms.

 

A genuine encounter with Jesus Christ has a way of changing that. Especially when we understand even Jesus recognized what it meant to submit; He didn’t go to the cross because He had nothing else to do that day. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the evening before being crucified, Jesus agonizingly prayed, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (John 12:27). He later added, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” There is no greater example of submission.

 

What could have motivated such sacrifice? Love. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, a price we could never even conceive of being able to pay.

 

God might not command us to give our lives for Him, although many have done that rather than renounce their faith. But the Lord does ask us to submit – to yield – in other ways: First of all, to Him, by obeying His commandments and responding to opportunities He sends our way. 

 

Then there’s submission to others, serving them in the name of Christ, even if it means giving up something tangible or offering time and energy in response to a need we can fill. As the apostle Paul exhorted believers in ancient Philippi, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

 

There’s also submission to our spouses. This is an especially sensitive subject. Ephesians 5:22 instructs, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,” but this strikes some as demeaning. Perhaps the word ‘yield’ would be easier to swallow, since it suggests more a matter of willing deference.

 

It helps to read this teaching in its context. After stating, “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church…,” it offers clarification: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). How did Jesus love the Church? He gave His life for it – the body of believers – in the most literal sense. The matter of submission – yielding – applies equally to both spouses.

How can we live in such a selfless way when, like the little boy, we’re tempted to be sitting down on the outside while standing up on the inside? Only through the love and power of Christ living in us through His Spirit. We bring the willingness, the desire. The Lord provides the power. As the apostle Paul declared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). 

Much of the Time It’s a Matter of Motives

Do you enjoy reading murder mysteries or watching detective shows on TV? There’s always the crime, then the sleuths arrive to examine the crime scene. For the remainder of the show, book, or program they sift through three basic questions: means, opportunity, and motive.

They work to locate or at least identify the weapon used in committing the crime. Then they compose a list of potential suspects, determining who can be connected to the scene at the time when the crime was committed. But sometimes the most complicated element for solving the crime is the motive. Why did he or she do it?

 

The idea is that people don’t commit crimes without having some rationale or motive for doing them. But this is true not only for criminal behavior. It’s a valid consideration even for the good things that people do. 

 

We might do an act of kindness for someone, for instance, to gain their favor. Students have always been known for buttering up their teachers and professors, hopeful of receiving better consideration for their grades. As law enforcement officers would say, “That’s motive.” The same could apply for a husband might brings flowers home to his wife. He might be doing so to atone for something he did that upset her. Or he might be seeking to get her in a good mood when he tells her of his plans to take a fishing trip with his buddies.

 

Sometimes very good things are done to receive public recognition. Years ago, I worked for a Christian ministry and a wealthy donor decided to give a very large contribution to support the work. He didn’t do so anonymously, however. He traveled to the ministry’s headquarters to present the check personally – and to have his photograph taken as he was handing it to the organization’s president. In the newspaper business, we called that the “grip and grin” photo.

 

Our motives can often be revealed – or concealed – with our speech. Who doesn’t appreciate compliments? But we need to be cautious when confronted with unexpected and perhaps unwarranted flattery. The Old Testament of the Bible has much to say about this. For instance, Psalm 12:2 says of the tactics of ungodly people, “Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.” 

 

Psalm 55:21 offers a stern warning that even seemingly good friends can betray with kind-sounding words: “My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.” Evil intentions harbored inwardly may be disguised but ultimately, they will be revealed.

 

Proverbs 26:24-26 provides a vivid description of this, someone who seems to be saying the right things but clearly is being guided by the wrong motives: “A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.” 

 

Motives are of special interest to God. We can do good things; noble things. We can help the poor, talk with people about Jesus Christ, teach a Bible class or lead a small group, contribute financially to worthy causes, serve our congregations in ways that are commendable. We may even receive the accolades of many for our actions. But what concerns the Lord most are our motives – the why of what we’re doing.

 

Two verses from Proverbs make a similar observation, stated a bit differently. “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 16:2). “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2).

 

And Proverbs 17:3 asserts, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” If we’re doing the right things but for the wrong motivations – if our hearts aren’t in the right place – God isn’t pleased.

 

The book of Acts gives a powerful example of someone desiring to do good things but not for the right reasons. A man named Simon was practicing sorcery in Samaria and receiving a lot of attention. However, he discovered Christ’s apostles were performing many wonders he couldn’t even have imagined. He wanted in on the action:

“When Simon saw the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, ‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ [The apostle] Peter answered: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God…’” (Acts 8:9-24).

 

We can become overly introspective to a fault, but sometimes it’s good when engaged in doing things that could be described as “Christian work” to ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this? Am I truly doing this for God’s glory – or am I doing it to make myself feel good, or so others will think well of me?” How we answer could be revealing.