There is absolutely no reason to get angry at Jesus.

Yes, He cleared out the temple at the passover.

Yes, He said “get behind me Satan” in reference to the actions of Peter.

Yes, He told His own brother, “for you, any time is right”.  In other words, “it makes no difference when you do something”.

Yes, He said “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”.

And of course, this:

Luke 16  10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?  13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”  14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

Who is Jesus to you?

The perception that is sometimes portrayed is sometimes soft, and accommodating, and flexible … or the perception is sometimes what we see above … that He is “not inclusive”, that He is “not a loving god”, or that He has created a human race that He intends to send to Hell.

But as I sat on the river yesterday and watched as the sun begin to peek over the mountain, I simply thought:  “There is absolutely no reason to get angry at Jesus.”

What has He done? …

He has offered us a choice.

And it is a simple one.

We can choose our own path and tell Him to leave us.

OR

We can Surrender.  Give up our plans.  Give up our desire to do as we please.  Give up our perceptions of right and wrong, our offenses with others, and our own view … and adopt His.

I choose the latter.  And, to be honest, it is a selfish choice.  When I surrender, I am giving up something far less than what I gain.  I have seen what I want … in every aspect of my life I have seen it, and it isn’t pretty.  I mean … I am ugly to the core.  I am greedy.  I am selfish.  I am angry, and unforgiving, and full of lust.  The pain I carry, willingly, is the very thing that I, when left to my own devices, inflict upon others.

I mean come on!  What am I going to do with a bag of money as my God?  It simply can not fill my insatiable desire to get more.

And what am I going to do if EVERYTHING I wanted always was at my disposal.  What would I do if I always got my way?

And what if everything I laid my hands on worked perfectly?  Even now, I can turn to arrogant so quickly that I do not even like the man that I see in the mirror.

So I surrender.

And yes …

  • That means that I surrender to what I think is right and wrong and look to God through prayer and conviction, the Bible, and other God-chasing people to define that.
  • That means that I choose to give.  Time.  Talent.  Money.  For the Kingdom of God.
  • That means that sex is not an activity, that purpose is given to us as created beings, and that confusion and insecurity are part of the enemy’s plan to dismantle our future.

But the up side is what He gives.

He stands in the gap between me … and eternal damnation.

He loves me in my weakness–when I do none of what I purpose to do … and forgives me for falling short.

He watches over me.  And keeps me.  And gives me life.

And when I surrender to this life … He stands in waiting.  For He, has created a place for me.

And so this day, I say:

Your Praise Will … Ever Be On My Lips

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J