I did not get a lot out of today’s study – probably because I have little to do with counselling – what do others think?
I guess the main idea is: ” ‘Others have hurt me, so I will never trust another person again. I will go so far in giving myself to people, but no further.’ That’s acting in the role of agent. We have decided to protect ourselves rather than trust God, and we are in effect saying to the Almighty. ‘Don’t ask me to get close to people because they will hurt me. I’m not sure, Lord, that I can trust You enough to hold me in such situations, so I will handle things in my own way through self-protection.’ Now, what’s the bigger issue here? The wounds others have inflicted on us or the way we are wounding God by our determination not to trust?”
I think it’s not so much that we wound God but that we limit ourselves in our ability to serve Him. We have this one life to live it to the full by working in His harvest field. If we enter this field without fully trusting God it is as if we are putting hand-cuffs on, we don’t do much work and we don’t put ourselves into many risky situations but we miss out on a lot of opportunities. How sad is that – what do you think?
[P.S. Somehow, I was picked to deliver the sermon at our evening service today - only a handful of people - so not a major event; it was on I Kings, Chapter 21, and I spoke about God's mercy as shown to the evil Ahab after he had humbled himself before God - and I talked about how it was relevant to us in 2006. Did you have the same reading at your Church?]
Victim or agent?
I did not get a lot out of today’s study – probably because I have little to do with counselling – what do others think?
I guess the main idea is: ” ‘Others have hurt me, so I will never trust another person again. I will go so far in giving myself to people, but no further.’ That’s acting in the role of agent. We have decided to protect ourselves rather than trust God, and we are in effect saying to the Almighty. ‘Don’t ask me to get close to people because they will hurt me. I’m not sure, Lord, that I can trust You enough to hold me in such situations, so I will handle things in my own way through self-protection.’ Now, what’s the bigger issue here? The wounds others have inflicted on us or the way we are wounding God by our determination not to trust?”
I think it’s not so much that we wound God but that we limit ourselves in our ability to serve Him. We have this one life to live it to the full by working in His harvest field. If we enter this field without fully trusting God it is as if we are putting hand-cuffs on, we don’t do much work and we don’t put ourselves into many risky situations but we miss out on a lot of opportunities. How sad is that – what do you think?
[P.S. Somehow, I was picked to deliver the sermon at our evening service today - only a handful of people - so not a major event; it was on I Kings, Chapter 21, and I spoke about God's mercy as shown to the evil Ahab after he had humbled himself before God - and I talked about how it was relevant to us in 2006. Did you have the same reading at your Church?]