Misbehaving
Posted by Dion Todd February 22nd, 2022 4,600 Views 0 Comments
Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "You don't know what I am doing now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet!" John 13:5'8 WEB.
It had been over three years since Jesus had chosen them to be His disciples. The twelve of them had traveled together, ministered together, ate together, and saw miracle after miracle while following Jesus. Yet, the night that Jesus was betrayed, He poured water in a basin, took a towel, and washed the feet of His disciples. When He came to Peter, Peter said, "You will never wash my feet!"
The Apostle Peter tended to correct Jesus when He broke out of his envisioned mold. In Matthew 16:22, Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that He would be crucified. In Mark 14:29, they disagreed, and Peter said, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" Then he denied Him, three times. In John 4:27, the disciples marveled when Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman. In Luke 8:25, they marveled, saying, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
See, Peter meant well, but sometimes it was his flesh speaking and not the Holy Spirit. The disciples knew Jesus very well, yet, they were always surprised by His actions. Because Jesus didn't always act as they thought He should. They kept trying to build a mental box to fit the Lord in, but He always appeared outside of it. Making God behave was a constant problem for the religious Pharisees and Scribes as well. They seemed to have irreconcilable differences.
Paul wrote this in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, "Don't quench the Spirit. Don't despise prophecies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good." Now I have attended churches that lived the exact opposite of that verse. We try to limit what He can do and place God Almighty inside a neat little box to make Him behave as we want. We tell Him what to do as if He was our pet. All that will bring is frustration when He doesn't obey you. We are made in the likeness of God, in His image. Yet, we sometimes behave as if we made Him in ours.
Leave room for God to be God in your life. Don't try to tell Him how to fix things. No one walked on water until someone did (Matthew 14:29). Donkeys didn't talk to people until one did (Numbers 22:28). To think that, "My Lord would never do that!" limits God to the size of your own mind. To believe that God has to be like you is the ultimate form of pride. God is full of surprises, and the Bible is full of Him surprising people just like us. So don't limit the God of the universe to your experience.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please keep me aware of Your Awesomeness. You are the Almighty, incredibly awesome God. The Creator of heaven and earth. The Maker of mankind. Let me never forget this. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
Note: For those following the Creation Photography weekly challenges, here is this week's theme from group leader, Dianna Wyles: Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" ~ 'For the Love of Birds' or 'Abundant Provisions' will be our next fun-tastic theme choices and, as always, are wide open for creative interpretation so let the merriment begin! You are also encouraged to post anything else that inspires you as well. My photos this week reflect just a few of my favorite (recent) birding joys, including the owlet and mama, as well as my interpretation of 'Abundant Provisions". I may not always have EVERYTHING I want but I have found I am always provided everything I need, including the abundance of love, family, and friendship surrounding me always. Thank you all for being a part of that very important 'abundant provision'. Have a fantastic week everyone! Grace and blessings be yours always! Here is the link: Creation Photographers
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