What a Ride

I’ll never forget one particular summer day when my youngest was a toddler. We were on a short vacation with my parents and had decided to take a trip to ride the Strasburg Railroad.

Everyone was excited. Well everyone except my toddler. He decided that whatever we were doing, if it involved getting strapped into his carseat, he wasn’t participating. He put up a resistance that had the makings of a major battle. Even after the initial struggle of successfully getting him into the safety of his carseat, he twisted and turned once we were on the road, pulling on the seatbelt straps until he finally wriggled free.

Free to what? Anyone with common sense could see the danger he was putting himself in. Immediately, we had to find a safe spot to pull over and try to get him back into the constraints of his carseat. In the process, there was a good chance we were going to be late for the scheduled train ride.

I think sometimes we get life’s strategies mixed up. Kind of like a little child who doesn’t know what’s going on, we miss out on the good stuff God wants to do in our lives.

My Bible Memory Verse last week for Memory Verse Monday was James 4:7. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” In this verse there are two words that really stood out to me.

One: Submit

Two: Resist

Who are we to submit to? God. Who are we to resist? The Devil. Now I don’t like to put God and the Devil on the same level. God by far is the one in control, the Creator, the Almighty One, and our Savior. But we are in a spiritual battle. The question is: Whom are we submitting to and whom are we resisting?

Remember how I said I found a treasure in James chapter 4? My verse the week before was James 4:6 - about God resisting the proud and giving grace to the humble. That was my “ruby”. James 4:7 is like a diamond to me. It glitters like a jewel because my dad taught this verse to me and my sisters and brother when we were children and because now I am seeing it in its Biblical context. The previous verses in chapter 4 talk about the source of wars and fightings amoung ourselves.

How can we live a life of peace? By submitting to God and resisting the Devil. Far too often we resist God and His ways and submit to the Devil. Remember what caused the Devil, (a once beautiful and powerful angel named Lucifer), to fall from God’s grace?

Yep, you guessed it P-R-I-D-E . Pride, wanting ones own way, is the source of all fightings and disputes.

Let’s not forget that we are spiritual beings in a spiritual battle. Oh we may have a physical shell that gets battered in the onslaught, but God’s all ready won the victory when He conquered sin at the cross. We need to keep claiming that victory. (Please note: Once you are saved by God's grace, you are always saved by grace. Unlike angels, we can never fall from God's grace. Our friendship with God can be broken for a time, but NEVER our relationship with Him. That was secured by Christ Jesus FINISHED work at the cross.)

I want to submit to God – to yield to His perfect will. I want to do it with a good attitude, not kicking and fighting. How about you? Let the Holy Spirit show you what changes need to happen in your life. God has a wonderful trip planned. Let’s in willing submission, go for the ride.

Live the adventure,
Susan

Picture Credit: Strasburg Railroad Website