8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! (Jeremiah 26:8)
Sometimes, doing what God wants you to leads in celebration, and other times not so much. Jeremiah was by all accounts a faithful servant of God’s. Yet, people still wanted to kill him. Not only this, but his enemies believed they were doing God’s will as well. There are many occasions where you will do the “right” thing but it will lead to results you did not expect. If this was true of all your decisions, would you still follow in obedience or would you walk away?
Sometimes obedience looks like failure
It is the duty of the saint to relinquish outcome. We are merely actors in a bigger narrative directed by God. The Gospel purchases us from the grasp of results. How our story ends is no longer up to us but by the One who can see eternity. While the period we live in is the most violent for Christ followers, in this country we are blessed with very little persecution if any. Perhaps this is how we have gotten so accustomed to celebrating instead of mourning at the end of God’s divine work. But as a man who has followed the person of Christ for a decade, I can tell you simply one thing: He is worth it. No matter the outcome or the threats, or the relational explosions, He alone is worth it.
Today, examine what you expect from following God. Is it for His glory or yours? Do you fear the result more than disobedience?
Lord, help us to follow no matter the result.
Matt simon blog 