Hebrews
12:1-2 Since
we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
There were many times when Jesus
turned down the requests of people around him. He refused a request from the
mother of James and John to give her sons the best seats in the Kingdom. Jesus
said that could not happen. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to pick up a rock so He
could join them in stoning the woman caught in adultery. Jesus gave them no
heed as He scribbled in the dirt. Pilate wanted Jesus to acknowledge his power
to release him from the crowds who wanted him killed. Jesus refused.
When
Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that his journey to Jerusalem would end in His
death, Jesus told Peter that he was speaking like a man of the world and not a
man of God.
Our lack of faith keeps us
near-sighted, never seeing the big picture or the distant future. Short-term
plans do not always ensure a long-term success. Sometimes the urgency of
immediate needs can over take the long-term plans that bring stability and
success. Pressure from within us and from other people will derail our efforts
to build a strong foundation that will last beyond the immediate crisis.
To overcome this short-term pressure
we can follow Jesus’ example. The
best seats may not be the ones God has prepared for us. The future has already
been set by God. Our job is to cooperate with the progress He is making in and
around us. Joining in with others in activity that may be legal in society does
not ensure that it is morally sound in light of God’s Word. The free exercise
of power or authority is not the means for solving all problems. A little delay
will prove that God can solve problems without us. The plans we force
into completion are man-made. God forces no one and nothing into existence. His
plans are nothing like our plans. His are always better.
