A bit too assertive?

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That is the way we should live, because God’s grace has come. That grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way—a way that shows true devotion to God. (Titus 2:11-12)

As we continue our "January Journey", let's consider what it means to 'live against God'. The very thought of 'living against' anything might mean we become a little too 'assertive' or 'aggressive' in our approach to whatever that may be. It doesn't mean we don't stand up for what is right and stand against what is wrong, but we aren't going to explore that today. I would like us to consider truthfully if there is any area of our lives where we are 'asserting' our will against God's will for our lives. That might be a hard thing to admit right now, but I believe we will make no progress forward with our relationship in Christ until we look at where we are 'assertive' when he asks us to 'submit'.

Grace brings about dramatic change in our inner man. It begins a trek we might not have taken apart from God's grace. That trek can be hard on occasion, bringing us face-to-face with God's will and the intense struggle to remain staunch in our control of the situation. When this happens, our response might just mean the difference between more obstacles in our path and the supernatural removal of all such obstacles. Like it or not, our own self-directed will might just bring us upon a few more obstacles than we really want to deal with right now. Living AGAINST God is not always intentional - it could just be that we are holding on when God clearly says to let go!

If we discover that we are a little too 'headstrong' in our resistance to something God asks us to do, we might just want to stop right there and ask ourselves why that resistance is occurring. Sometimes it is out of fear - we aren't fully trusting God with the circumstances. At other times, it is out of pride - we don't want to let go because it would mean we admit to 'failing' in some regard. There is no good reason to live opposed to God's will, yet we choose to be aggressive or assertive in holding onto our own. Today could be the very day God is asking us to stop living AGAINST his grace and start living INSIDE of it. Just sayin!

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