Bypassing Trouble

​Meditation
Luke 9:51-56--When the days were coming to a close for Him to be taken up, He determinedto journey to Jerusalem.  He sent messengers ahead of Him, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him.  But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.
 

Imagine you are intent on fulfilling your mission and all of a sudden opponents get in your way.  The disciples, knowing the power of Jesus, decided that the best course of action when facing adversaries was to make them crispy critters.  They may have had in mind Elijah when he called down fire from heaven and twice destroyed troops sent to capture him (2 Kings 1:10-12). But Jesus was not interested in destroying people and He clearly was not happy with the action recommended by James and John, who were appropriately called “the Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). After rebuking them, Jesus adjusted His plans and traveled to a different village.

Friends, sometimes our best decision is to go to another village.  Instead of taking on trouble, bypass it!  We can be too quick to fight, too impatient to endure affliction, too consumed with our rightness to see clearly other options.  Jesus was focused on getting to Jerusalem.  As Watchman Nee noted in his book, Twelve Baskets Full Vol. I, “Nothing could side-track Christ from the goal . . . Let us not be diverted from the divine purpose; neither let us excuse ourselves from the responsibility of ministering to human need, provided it does not side-track us from the road that leads to the goal.”  

​Has God placed you on a path and assigned you a mission? Don’t deviate.  Stay focused in fulfilling His plan and you will find great encouragement and blessing.  It is when we try and take matters into our own hands to achieve human fixes that we run into trouble.  Don’t go there!   Stay on point so you, like Jesus, may bring God glory.
 
Inspiration
The soul lives by avoiding what it dies by desiring.—Saint Augustine
The wise warrior avoids the battle.—Sun Tzu
 
©2018Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)