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“There
is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”(Proverbs
14.12)
Can we flip that and say: There is a Way which seems wrong, to the soul of man, but its end is the Way of Life. ?
Can we flip that and say: There is a Way which seems wrong, to the soul of man, but its end is the Way of Life. ?
Jesus
perfectly demonstrated this Way. His will would not come into agreement with the
Father. In agonizing torment he said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to
death" (Matthew 26.38). That was right there at the end when the cross and
physical death was just ahead for Jesus.
What
to do? He couldn't find that agreement within himself. But he could only submit
– defer – yield – acquiesce to the desire of another; his Father, God. He
pleaded with Him that there may be any other way to achieve his Father's desired
end. There was not. Jesus did not want it to go down like this. Within himself
he opposed it. Finally in a death blow to his soul, Jesus cried out to his
Father, 'this is not what I want, but I'll do it Your way' ("Not my will, but
yours be done” Luke 22.42)
We
may find such encouragement in this. Along our journey in God we each encounter
the agony of letting go and permitting God to have His way. Surely this does not
cease to be the case while we walk here on earth. The “rub” always remains; that
struggle to put the soul to rest. Can it comfort us to know that “sorrow and
deep distress” is just part of the process (Matthew 26.37). In fact, our soul
will never be in agreement with the Father. “The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17.9) This is why
the eyes of our soul must get shut. When our eyes are closed we are resting.
Our spirit stands ready and willing to lead, right in step with the Spirit of
Christ. This will occur as we silence our will – our soul.
Jesus
really knows, by experience, what we each face in this conflict. Let's not
forget He did say, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”(Matthew
11.29). He showed us how it's done. He modeled it for us. It is The Way – it
will produce Life. Let's chose to follow The Way!
Courage
& Strength,
Christopher
https://anear2hear.wordpress.com/
https://anear2hear.wordpress.com/
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