Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Following God Not Always Easy

"But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, 'You must die!'"

-- Jeremiah 26:8

Following God is not always easy. Just ask Jeremiah. He was telling people exactly what God told him to say. His words were very unpopular and people wanted to kill him. That's what happens when you step on the toes of folks determined to hang on to their power and prestige.

I'm not sure why we think that following God should be easy. It's that belief that if we stay true to God we'll never experience heartache and disaster. I don't know where we get that from. All through the Bible, God's servants suffer ridicule, beatings and death. Sure, God blesses them too. But being a Christian doesn't mean we won't suffer. It simply means that God is with us and that our final home will be awesome!

In the meantime, God expects us to do what He asks us to do. That's what Jeremiah did. And, no, they didn't kill him. They also didn't repent and God did what He said He would do.

There are times when I'd prefer to ignore what God is telling me to do. I'm at a stage in my life when I just want things to go by smoothly. No ruffled feathers. No angry words. No games. Just live in peace with all people and let things roll off of me. God has other plans. He always has other plans.

I know He's right. I do. And not just because He's God and God is always right. He gave me this ability to cut through the crap and say what needs to be said to people who'd rather not hear it. I've always tended to upset everyone, no matter their views. I guess there is unity in being mad at me. It once made me a good editorial columnist. I used to say that I didn't care if people agreed with me or not, just that they took time to actually think about the issues. Somehow I seemed tougher back then. Maybe I was just better at faking it and pretending that I didn't care when people lashed out at me.

Someone needs to speak God's truth. I know that. So many of the people who claim to do so are really only speaking their personal political views. It frustrates me. I can't imagine how much it upsets God. I think that's one of my greatest fears. If I go out there and shake things up, I at least want to be sure I'm saying what God wants me to say. Words. I want God to give me the words and then it'll all be okay, no matter what happens.

God knew this journey wouldn't be easy. He called us anyway. He equipped each of us with individual skills and talents to further His kingdom. Sometimes that means saying what other people really don't want to hear because it's what God wants you to say.