Published by admin on 02 Oct 2009 at 02:47 pm
DON’T CALL ME, I’LL CALL YOU
How many times have you had dealings with someone whom you’re not really crazy about, and they wanted to stay in contact with you? And of course, they want your phone number, so your comment is,”Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” A comment like that usually has it’s root in pride, in that your opinion is the only one you truly value, and anyone else’s advice is at best second-rate. In other words, if I want your opinion I’ll ask for it. And of course, you’re not about to do that, right?
We have a tendency to do that with God, whether we realize it or not. In times of trouble we MIGHT be willing to turn our attention to God, depending how severe that trouble is And for the most part, really, all we want is to be out of the trouble, then its “Bye-bye God, I can take it from here.” Or, putting it more bluntly, “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”
For the most part, we are what might be called “self-sufficient”, that is, we think we have what it takes to make it on our own. True, God has made man in His own image, given him a degree of wisdom and understanding, and armed with that, we CAN do a lot on our own. But we can’t do everything. Most of my life until age 45 I had a “can–do” attitude, and I didn’t need your help, either. Pride would not allow me to ask for help or advice very often. Like a couple driving to Miami Florida to Orlando, and the husband didn’t know for sure which way to go, but he certainly wasn’t going to look at a map or ask directions. They had driven for a really long time, and his wife asked if they were lost. No, we’re not lost! She asked, Then why does the sign say Welcome to Nebraska?
Sometimes we see we’ve lost our way, and we’re finally ready to admit it. Maybe our life is broken, and we’ve tried to fix it, but the glue is not holding. Regardless, it’s time to ask for help, and the LORD is waiting, willing to help. But what is the heart’s motive for asking? I’ve ministered to many people in prison and it’s an amazing place, full of innocent people for the most part. With lots of time on their hands to consider where their actions landed them, many in prison give their lives to the LORD. But some do it with the hope that for turning to God they might be granted an early release. Some inmates can be very manipulative, and that’s why they’re in prison in the first place. They will tell a visiting minister about anything they want to hear, if they think it will gain them something. But it’s not too hard to see through that, nor is it hard for God to see through it. Sometimes we make promises to God we have no intentions of keeping.
Some are truly sorry they committed the crimes they are serving time for. Some are just sorry they got caught, which means, given the opportunity, they would do it again. Personally, I don’t care if they are guilty or not, they are still human beings in dire need of God, that need to be treated with dignity, after all, we are ALL in need of God. The hearts of people in prison are not so very different from people on the outside. The only difference is, the ones in prison got caught, and the rest didn’t.
You can be sure there are prisoners who pray to God to be released, not because they have fallen in love with God, but because they have fallen out of love with being in prison. And there are people on the outside who are praying to God to get out of their situations, but they are truly not interested in serving God for the long term. They may just be interested in getting their problem fixed so they can go on their merry way again, minus the oversight of God, of course. Same attitude, the only difference is the location from which the prayer originates. We tend to think only those who are in prison are the “bad sinners”, but fail to see we are all equally in need of salvation, for there are no “good sins” in God’s eyes. Sin is sin, though we as humans tend to grade sins on a scale of “Your sin is really big, but mine is little-bitty, in fact so small it can hardly be seen.”, That idea leaves us with the idea we are somehow better than the next guy.
What is the difference between a prison with bars, and a prison without bars? You’re still in prison, lacking freedom. There are people behind bars, who we can easily see are not free. But what about the person living in sin who would like to be free, yet their pride will never let them call on God, let alone get free and become His follower? Is there any hope for them? The God that listens to the prayers of a repentant prisoner is the same God who listens to the prayers of one who is not in prison. The key is repentance. Most people don’t want to hear about repentance these days, and many churches at least hint that you can have God on your terms. All that does is feeds the problem, so it never goes away, kind of like covering a festering sore with a band-aid. Let’s rip that bandage off today and treat the wound so you can make a full recovery.
Until we get rid of our “don’t call me, I’ll call you” attitude, things aren’t too likely to change anytime soon. Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting God to fix all your problems. After all, He’s the One who made this creation, and only He knows how to properly fix and maintain it. He wants your life to be a joy to live, not a sorrow. He wants all your needs to be met on time, every time. And if that just isn’t the case in your life, then it’s time for a change and for you to make that call to God.
But can God also feel free to call YOU when there’s something He would like YOU to do? A relationship with God is a two-way street, you calling upon Him, and He calling upon you, anytime, day or night, you know. There needs to be a real freedom there between both of you to call upon one another. Are you ready for that? Or is it, “fix my problems and then leave me alone, don’t call me, I’ll call you”? Only you and God know the answer to that one.
Robbee on 02 Oct 2009 at 9:10 pm #
Once again spot on Pastor Jerry….exactly what I needed to read…Thank You!
Mbuzeli (South Africa) on 05 Oct 2009 at 7:53 am #
Hi Pastor Jerry, what a good article. I will share it with others. Thank you for being obedient to the call. God bless.
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