Have you ever been asked or even told to do something but
you were reluctant to do it? If
yes, why? It might be that we are
reluctant for fear that we will fail.
Maybe we lack confidence.
Or, maybe we don’t want to work with certain people because of past
issues. There are a variety of
reasons why we are reluctant to take on a new job, begin a new relationship,
start a conversation, teach a class, share our faith, say no, say yes, go on a
date, ride in an airplane.
Whatever the reason, being reluctant is crippling.
There is this guy by the name of Jonah in the Old Testament
who had to deal with his own reluctant issues. Jonah was given a task by God to go to a city called Nineveh
to deal with the issues and down right wickedness. (Jonah 1:1-2)
Just who are these people God is sending Jonah to talk to
about their wicked behavior? They weren’t your monastery kind of people;
rather, they were thugs, liars, haters, and rejecters of God and murders! It was their policy to never keep their
prisoner of war alive. While holding
the victim down, they would pull out their tongue. For some, they would skin their victims alive. They would take the human skulls of
their prisoners and build pyramids outside of the conquered city.
I can’t say emphatically that I would be jumping for joy to
get the assignment to go and talk to a group of people with a reputation of
ruthless murders and terror tactics that gave the Ninevite regime a name to be
feared. I can see why Jonah was so
reluctant; his life is in jeopardy.
As crazy as the people were about ruthless living, God was
as crazy about his people and if they would turn away from their wicked ways,
God would demonstrate his grace and mercy and love on them and embrace them as
if there was never a problem in the first place. God has crazy love for his people and desires to have a
close-knit relationship with each of us.
Part of Jonas issue about going to Nineveh was the fact that he knows
how God would respond to a people who would turn away from their sins and
accept God’s ways. Jonah did not want Nineveh to get one ounce of God’s grace
and mercy. They didn’t deserve it.
Because of
Jonah’s reluctance, the Scripture says, “Jonah ran away from the Lord….” (Jonah 1:3) One of the key strategies of a
reluctant person is to run away from the problem, issue, relationship, or
whatever the circumstances are in order to avoid facing the problem that has a
grip on them.
For many believers in Christ, there is a reluctance to teach
for fear they do not know enough.
There is a fear to share their faith, for fear they will get rejected.
There is a fear to speak in a public gathering for fear they will not know what
to say or forget what they want to say.
There are a variety of reluctant reasons people have for not getting
more involved in the different aspects of the church ministries.
I am reluctant to climb a ladder because I am afraid of
heights. However, in order for me
to over come my fear, I have to face it head on. The more we do, the less
reluctant we are about doing it and the more confident we become in our relationships,
speaking, teaching, sharing our faith, or whatever we have been reluctant
about.
Remember, Be God Controlled!
Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment