“Bad At Directions”
EPISODE 16
Follow the Lord’s Instructions
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Why are guys so bad at following directions? The GPS is directing us to our destination, but we know a faster route. The Ikea manual shows us how to build that new Björksnäs, but we've got it under control. Eventually, we're off-course or watching our furniture crumble to pieces before our eyes. But for some reason, we always seem to know better!
"... You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish" (John 11:49-50).
People started to believe in this Jesus of Nazareth. They saw him call the dead from the grave and couldn't deny his claim to be the Son of God. Meanwhile, the religious leaders feared that the people's uprising would cause Rome to step in and rip away their position of power. How would they silence Jesus and win back the hearts of the people? Their answer — kill him! They plotted and schemed together to end Jesus' life, but little did they know they were actually accomplishing God's eternal plan.
You Know Nothing
How often we convince ourselves that our plans are right and true, without ever considering God's way. We become misguided and forgetful about our inability to direct our steps in this life (Jer. 10:23). We pridefully assert the correctness of our opinions, bowling over anyone who stands against us. But God's will cannot be thwarted or changed. His plans for us will not be defeated. And in hindsight, we will look back to those past theories and assumptions to see just how far off the mark we'd been. Years later it would seem at least one of the leaders — a teacher named Gamaliel — tried to make room for God's plans when he said, "... if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them" (Acts 5:38-39).
One Should Die To Save Many
The double meaning of their words seems chillingly evident in hindsight. One will die to save the rest. Isn't that the essence of the gospel? Looking back, it's clear they didn't understand the full implications of killing the Messiah. They plotted against him to gain back the people's support, but God used Jesus' death to gather all nations to Himself. If only Jesus were out of the picture, the religious leaders could finally regain power. What they forgot, like we often do, is they were never in control, to begin with (John 19:11).
Will you include the Lord in your plans for today? Are you willing to prayerfully and humbly follow his instructions? May the Lord guide our hearts and minds, and defeat us when we start to stray from the narrow path.
