Salute

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:29,30

My view of God can often be skewed. Instead of the loving Father the Bible says He is, I seek to find an unbendable, authoritarian army sergeant, just waiting for me to make a wrong move. My motivation to please Him stems from fear. Not the healthy reverential kind of fear, but a fear that expects the bomb to drop at any moment.

I noticed myself falling into an old familiar pattern yesterday. Contemplating a decision of enormous proportion, I assumed I had it all figured out. God requires A . . . plus my response, which would be B . . . which of course equals C. Right?

I had indeed heard from God, and my tendency is to run like the wind in the direction of His prompting. No linger around for confirmation - why wait? If the band aid must come off, why not rip it off and get it over with?

But after thinking about what God's Word says about His character, something wasn't adding up. God is never in a hurry, so why was I obeying at the speed of light?

Obedience is key in keeping in step with our Heavenly Father. But I think it is important to dialogue with God about His timing, and to seek clarity and confirmation through His Word before bolting for the door. More than a hand salute, God wants wholehearted trust.

We serve a God who is very much pressed to perfection, wearing the greatest medals of honor. But unlike a drill sergeant, God is a loving Father, wanting us to see His heart more than His hand.

Who are you saluting today? Your perception of God - or the God of the Bible?

The difference, my friend, can make all the difference in the world.