Commission or submission?
Today’s Reading: John 2:13-18 (NIV)
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to
Memory Verse: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7 ESV)
Good day!
There are certain circumstances when Christ does not demonstrate a warm and open welcome to the people He encounters along the way. Why would Jesus not have welcomed the money changers in the temple? After all, they were working in His temple. Why did they come? Whom were they serving? What did Jesus see that we somehow missed at first glance?
Sometimes I forget that God knows my heart better than I know it myself. He not only hears my words; He watches my actions. He understands the difference between what I say, and how I truly feel. If we spend a few minutes evaluating and observing the things we say and do and the motivation behind it, we may better understand why the Lord was unwilling to offer an open welcome to the money changers.
Why do we pray? Every Friday morning when I was a little girl, my mother kept a hair appointment at the beauty salon. It was her weekly pampering, and she never missed it. My sister and I would have to sit for two hours while the salon tech washed, rolled, dried and combed my mother’s hair. In the summertime, the salon was a very hot place to be. Women were there, getting beautified. Hair was being permed, teased and cut. The stinch of stiff hair spray wafted throughout the room and made the floor sticky and slippery. If you’ve ever sat in a hot salon, breathing in the fumes of preserving oils, creams and sprays, then you can imagine why I would have rather been anywhere else on Friday mornings.
I remembered a sermon I had heard on prayer one Sunday at church. I must have missed the part about personal sacrifice when the preacher said that I could ask anything in Jesus’ name, and God would grant my request. So I decided to try it. That Friday morning, I woke up early, got out of bed and got down on my knees. I prayed this heart felt and genuine prayer: Lord, you promised that if I asked ANYTHING in your name, You would grant it. I’m asking today to let me go to the neighbors’ house to swim instead of to the beauty shop with Mommy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I waited by the telephone, believing our next door neighbor would call us out of the clear blue and invite Pammy and I over to swim. The minutes were ticking by and soon it was time to leave, and the phone had not yet rung. In exasperation, I ran across the street and rang my neighbor’s doorbell. I asked her as sweetly as I could, “I just knew you would invite us over today to swim, and if you do, then we won’t have to go with Mommy to the beauty shop today. Won’t you please ask my mother if we can come over now?” Our neighbor, being the kind-hearted woman she was, smiled, and said, “Of course, you can come over.” I ran home, believing God had FINALLY answered my prayer. Of course, when Mommy realized that I had forced the invitation, she refused to let us go swim. And off we went to the very hot salon where we sat and steamed for two long hours. I wondered why God didn’t answer my prayer. I was so disappointed. It was as heartfelt and sincere as I could have prayed it. I trusted Him to respond the way I wanted Him to. What was wrong with the motivation behind my words?
My prayer obviously wasn’t for God’s glory; it was for my benefit. I wanted God to do something good for me. I wanted Him to make my life easier, and more enjoyable. I didn't want to be stuck in a hot and uncomfortable place. I wanted to be in the swimming pool, having fun. I was much more concerned with my own needs and desires. Surely, God would see things my way. Those money changers in the temple may have justified selling animals in the court yard as a convenience to those who would come and offer sacrifices and prayers of repentance to God. Were they honoring God by providing this service or relying upon the needs of others as a way to make a quick buck? Were the money changers more interested in serving God or serving themselves? Are we working for a commission, or willing to fully submit to God's will, especially when life is not easy or comfortable?
When we learn to pray the prayers that God wants us to pray, they begin to take on meaning. We focus not so much on our own personal need, but upon His glory and how we can honor Him with our lives. God gives us the ability to see beyond our personal circumstances and know, beyond a doubt, that we were created to worship and glorify Him. It is no longer about me, but Thee. And living to worship HIm becomes a pleasure and privilege as we submit to His will, especially when it is not convenient. We learn to honor God in our motivations. He sees and knows our heart. We may be able to fool ourselves and each other at times, but we will never fool God.
If you are trying to please the Lord with good works and words but wrong motivation, stop it right now. Ask Him to help you see the difference between praying selfish prayers and living a selfless life. Jesus knew the difference when He went into the temple court yard that day. And He knows the motivations of your heart right now. I’ve prayed some really childish prayers in my life. Today, I willingly submit to His will, not mine. After all, it is not about me.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
Father, teach me to fully submit to Your will for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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