Yesterday, I went to the grocery store before I went home and picked up some items for dinner.  I quickly exited the store and jumped into the car.  Here in Japan, we drive on the opposite side of the road than the USA, which I am used to.  After starting the car, I proceeded to drive to the exit where I was going to enter onto the main road.  There was a car coming from the main road trying to enter into the parking lot, but he was not moving.  I waited, and he waited, and then he honked his horn at me one small, short time.  I soon realized that I was on the wrong side of the road trying to exit where he was trying to enter.

                When thinking about my mistake, I realize that God does the same thing with us.  We are going through life without paying attention because we are living life based on our own agenda.  We are living life relying on our natural instincts, just like my natural instinct was to drive on the right side of the road, and then God has to honk his horn at us to show us that we are traveling in the wrong direction.  When the man honked his horn at me, I quickly got in the left lane and was heading in the right direction and in the correct lane.  When we hear that first honk from God, we need to take that as a sign that God is trying to get our attention, and we are doing something that may be destructive.  Let’s not rely on our natural instincts because our natural instincts tend to be selfish and sinful and contrary to God’s ways.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”  We need to allow God to lead and shape us, so that we, too, will not look back at our life and realize that we have been in the wrong lane.

                Thank you God for your loving kindness in correcting us when we are trying to proceed on our own and relying on our own instincts.  For You, Oh God, know us better than we know ourselves, and You desire to give us life to the fullest.

Pastor Brad

 

When we live for God, we sometimes have people that will try to put us down or look for our faults.  In Daniel 6, we see people doing this to Daniel by trying to find any type of corruption in him.  Daniel’s adversaries found nothing because Daniel led his life with integrity and faithfulness to God.  Daniel 6:5 says, “Then these men said, ‘We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.'”

If people came against us today, how would they try to attack us?  Would others say that we are people of integrity and faithfulness to God and then attack us for being Christians, or would our practices and habits make us vulnerable to the criticisms of others?  Sure, no one is perfect, and when we are lacking, God’s grace is extended to us, but let us strive together toward the high calling of Jesus Christ and make Him know wherever He places us.  Maybe just like Daniel in a foreign land.

Pastor Brad