“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music,
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well
that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say,
‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’ ”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well
that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say,
‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’ ”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
WHATEVER
And I answered and said, “So be it, LORD.”
~ Jeremiah 11:5 (NKJV)
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
~ Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)
Whether saved or unsaved, happy or discouraged, I believe human response to God can always be summed up in the word “Whatever.”
If rebellious, we will say it with a sneer and disgusted snort, head tossed back, incredulous that anyone presumes to suggest what we should do: “What-EH-ver!”
If resigned to God’s will, understanding that He is God and we are not (and thus we must accept His will, no matter how painful or distasteful), we sigh heavily (perhaps sniffle) and mutter, “WHAT-ever …”
If we accept how very infinite is our Father’s love for us, and how much He longs to bless us if we will but believe He means all for our good, we can receive every single situation or word from Him with a nod and a smile (maybe a laugh), and say, “Yes, Lord. So be it. Whatever You say I will do. Whatever Your will, I accept Your good purpose in it.”
Joy in the Christian walk is found when one knows the proper way to say “Whatever.”
Ah Lord God, Your love and wisdom are beyond comprehension! We do not understand why You do what You do. Please assure us that we do not need to. Please increase our faith and love for You in and through every situation.
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Oh dear Anne. Sooo glad I checked my dashboard before going to bed. Thank you for the repost. I'm so blessed by it. Whatever he wills, indeed. Great words.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed that you reposted this sis, love you so much.
ReplyDeleteInsightful as always! It's all about our attitude!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I really don't understand why He does what He does.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm learning to say whatever and cling to Him through all those times my understanding fails.
~ Wendy
ouch:)...crashed into that old wall(attitude)recently. the old self keeps wanting to be in control. really need to watch/guard my steps in this area. thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post- so true. Thanks Anne.
ReplyDeleteT. Anne, I'm working on that "nod and a smile." And I'm smiling as I write these words.
ReplyDeleteDenise, amazing how often I need to be reminded of my own words.
Clifford, ah yes, attitude colors everything.
Wendy, since our understanding will not be perfect this side of heaven, I work on trust just a little bit more.
Bud, that Self is a formidable enemy, showing up in surprising places and times, always able to be vanquished—by God's grace.
Jason, thanks for the encouraging word, and you're welcome. :D
...wish i could put my post and this repost to rest but it won't go away. to be honest, i think it's because some of the issues taking place in my life right now didn't come from me. they were put in my path by others and i've reacted to them in a wrong way. of course i had needed to repent! and i will apologize to the clerk. this one doesn't bring every question/decision in my life to the Lord. especially if it didn't come from me but was/is being imposed upon me. a brother told me once that one of my "downfalls" is that all too often, this one reasons things out. i call it common sense.
ReplyDeleteother things come into play here as well besides my heart response to Him. take His commandments of loving Him with all our of hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves. (now i'm in trouble again) but anyways, i'm asking myself if i'm in disagreement with both my neighbors because one of those issues that took place and it brings discord between us because of it....then am i in sin? it's one thing to be pleasing to the Lord in deed and truth but i'm finding it difficult to accept that i need to do the same for my neighbors. especially one that has caused me a good deal of grief.
Bud, to the question "is it sin?" I'd offer these words from Romans 14:23:
ReplyDelete"Whatever is not from faith is sin."
If I cannot say in faith that my thoughts, feelings, words, or actions honor God as His will, then I'd have to have extremely compelling evidence to believe they're not sin.