DON’T LIMIT YOURSELVES
Yesterday was the 1st day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. As we look around we would not know. With no signs of life above the soil, the dreary winter look persists. However deep within the soil, a furious work is already taking place as shoots spring up and life breaks through the stillness brought about by the winter. In a week or two, the earth will be bursting with life. The succus within will be expressed in all its glory unless someone limits it with ill-advised maneuvers. Likewise, it is possible to limit the beauty and fullness of a life in Christ. Jesus talks of three such limiting factors in Luke 17:1-10.
- Don’t limit yourself with advice from elders: As young Christians who desire to walk in the will of God are faced with difficult decisions, they invariably turn to elders who unfortunately are often end up being wrong. The reason for their error is because they try to apply what was applicable to them to the life of others, failing to recognize that God has charted out a unique pathway for each one of us. Consequently from a position of authority, they influence their listeners to stumble, which is a tragedy for all concerned. “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves (v1-3). Earlier in Luke 11:46, he says about the then elders, ‘And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them’. While the wisdom of God provides man with freedom, the wisdom of elders binds them down with traditions and man-made rules. You are far more likely to get it right by going with an open mind before God in total submission than going to an elder for advice about issues concerning your life.
- Don’t limit yourself with misguided faith: When the disciples ask him to increase their faith, he says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you (v6). What Jesus is saying is that the extent of faith or the emotions or conviction associated with faith is nowhere as important as the substance of faith, which means being in union with God and discerning the will of God. If you are in sync with God and know His will, regardless of the enormity of the challenge, it will happen. So unlike popular Christian teaching, saying ‘Hallelujah’ numerous times or believing hard and making a superhuman effort to develop conviction and eliminating doubt are all of no consequence to the execution of faith. The only thing that matters is knowing exactly what God wants and moving forward with it, in which case, faith as small as a mustard seed will suffice.
- Don’t limit yourself with unreal expectations: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (v 10) Often Christians think that they are worthy of special treatment and demand unreal blessings from God only to be disappointed. What we do for God does not qualify us for any claims before God; rather our attitude should be one of humility that espouses the servant nature. This nature is content with serving the Master and finding satisfaction in a relationship with God and the hope to come. If God blesses us with earthly things, we rejoice and praise Him, striving to exhaust ourselves for His sake. If we suffer, we learn to be content as well and patiently wait for God.
When we don’t allow limitations to our Christian growth, our lives become one of rejoicing and praise, one of life bursting at its seams and where the miraculous becomes routine.
