Every other year, I read through the entire Bible. I do this for several reasons- first and foremost, I have always loved the Bible. I never get tired of reading it. You could say I have a passion for it. There are some parts of it that I enjoy more than others, but to me the Bible has always been more than just a book. It is life to me. Or rather, the One I read about is life to me. The Bible is the connection.
I also read the Bible consistently because I truly believe I am supposed to be an example to the church. If I am not reading the Bible, the people that God has entrusted to me to lead won't read it either. This is a primary problem in the church- the Bible is the only bestseller that is never read. There are probably two or three Bibles per American household, yet they do little more than gather dust.
Anyway, the part of the Bible I am studying today is the book of Zephaniah- a minor prophet in the Old Testament. One particular verse stuck out to me. I have learned to listen when verses stick out to me- I believe the Holy Spirit speaks to me by highlighting verses of Scripture, teaching me things about my own life, commenting on our society, or simply imparting wisdom to me. The verse was Zephaniah 3:1-2, "Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God."
I have found in my own Christian life the need for submission to God. Christianity, the church, faith- it all hinges on submission to God. If you are a person that cannot submit to God, you will not ever walk with Christ. You will never have faith. If you even consider yourself a Christian, your faith will never pass beyond that of simple intellectual proofs. There will be no great strides, nothing great accomplished for the kingdom through you, nothing worth mentioning at your funeral other than, "He was a member of this or that church." Your relationship with God will be cold and distant, the church will be boring and oppressive, and if you even have a faith in later years it will simply be "fire insurance"- thinking that a belief in God will somehow keep you out of hell.
This passage in Zephaniah condemns the lack of submission in our lives as Christians- "She obeys no one, she accepts no correction." Does that describe you in your Christian life? The big thing in American culture is to accept no correction, because what is right for you is right for you, and what is right for me is right for me. When the Holy Spirit challenges your lifestyle, your lack of faith, your rejection of your calling- do you respond? Is repentance part of your faith? How many Christians do you know, possibly yourself included, that walk in open disobedience to Scripture on a daily basis?
When there is no submission to God- when you accept no correction and do not obey God, then the second sentence of that verse is true- "She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to God." Most Christians I know would say they wish they were closer to God. I know I want that. Most likely, so do you. However, it simply will not happen without submitting to God's authority, God's word, God's sovereignty. Every day it is our job to crucify the sinful nature- to live out of the Spirit and not out of the flesh- because our sinful nature will never submit to God. Here we see the biggest battle in the church, in the world, actually. Are we governed by the flesh or by the Spirit?
Submission to God brings such joy, such peace, such LIFE. Following Christ for me is like running a train along the tracks. The train was meant and designed to run on the tracks, and life simply works when we live as we were meant and designed to do. We were meant to submit to God, and in turn, enjoy life to the full. Who has more freedom- the law-abiding citizen or the criminal behind bars? By submitting to the laws of the land, you have freedom to go and do whatever you want. By resisting the law of the land, you have freedom and life taken away. The same is true of God- by submitting to God, you receive freedom and life. By a lack of submission to God, you have freedom and life taken away. Unfortunately, we often learn these lessons late in life if at all.
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