The Powerful Sin of Unwillingness

One of the dark character qualities of sin that we don’t recognize as much as we should is unwillingness. We’re often unwilling to do what God says if it doesn’t make sense to us. We’re often unwilling to inconvenience ourselves for the needs of someone else. We’re regularly unwilling to wait. We’re often unwilling to be open and honest. We’re too often unwilling to consider the loving rebuke of another. We struggle to be willing to say no to our own wrong thoughts and desires.

We often struggle to be willing to answer God’s ministry call. Often we are unwilling to admit that we are wrong. Too often we struggle to serve willingly and to give generously. Unwillingness is one of sin’s powerful damaging results. So here’s what the Christmas story is all about: a willing Savior is born to rescue unwilling people from themselves because there is no other way.

You see, it’s not just the Christmas story; rather, the entire redemptive story hinges on one thing—the eternal willingness of Jesus.

– Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp

 

I had a difficult situation pop up last week where I had to confront someone. I was hurt and needed to clarify what had been communicated. The old me, the one who was raised with zero conflict resolution, wanted to be quiet.

I’ll just let the whole thing go, I thought to myself.

But I didn’t. I had the conversation that needed to be had. Everything worked out with the miscommunication clarified.

I realized though that I had been unwilling to engage God. Unwilling to allow Him to work through the situation. I think that we, as Christians, do this a lot:

  • We don’t communicate with God, when we sin, because we are unwilling to face the consequences OR even acknowledge something bigger going on inside of us.
  • We ignore God when we think that things will go differently/negatively so why pray?

Our unwilling nature deprives us in our faith walk. What God wants to use to strengthen our relationship with Him/our faith we instead put on the back burner of non-engagement. I know that we are called to more than this.

Let us be willing just as Christ was willing.

Surf Report – 10/24/2017

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Surf Report.

.: God:

Imagine spending 40 days and 40 nights with God on Mount Sinai. Your people, whom you’ve led out of Egypt, have given up on you. They’ve decided to build their own god, a golden calf, with the help of your brother. God interrupts your meeting and tells you what the people are doing. They have violated His commandments.

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10a Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.

God then says something that I’ve never noticed before. Notice the rest of verse 10:

10b Then I will make you into a great nation.”

Let’s pause for a moment. God has just said that He is going to destroy the Israelites and make Moses a great nation.

What would you do?

Would you want to be freed from a people who had made your life miserable? Would you tell God, sure, kill them, fulfill your promises in me?

OR

Would you make your case to God for your people?

You can pick up the story here (Exodus 32:11)

.: Life:

Over the weekend, Tabitha and I removed what was left of the handicap ramp off the front porch. I love how every small thing we do makes the house feel more and more like ours.

Photos courtesy of my wife.

.: Gaming:

Wyatt and I have been playing Little Big Planet 3.

Little Big Planet 3 demands that you bring your best platforming skills to the game. Anything less than your best will end in failure.

Wyatt and I played the above boss at least ten times. The first night we got stuck on the boss, we were both tired. Thankfully, I decided to quit that night. Wyatt wasn’t happy about that decision. However, we were able to beat the boss in a quick and efficient manner the next day. Sometimes you gotta know when to quit.

That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!

Date Night – The Saw Incident

Friday night, Tabitha and I were enjoying an evening alone when we got a phone call from a mom in our small group.

“Can you come over and saw my son’s foot out from a chair?”
Sure. Why not?

I grabbed a few tools and we headed out the door.

Arriving at the house, we had no clue what we were about to encounter. But inside was a little boy who had shoved his foot through a wood slated chair. A chair of sturdy construction that was not going to budge.

This desk chair is far more sinister than it looks. Note the wood slats below the seat.

So I sat down on the floor next to him, and I took off my shoe. Asking the little boy if he could move his foot like I was. Nothing. I figured that if he got his foot into that position he could get it out. Wrong. His ankle had popped past the point of no return. The wood slats wouldn’t budge. Time to find a saw.

Out in the garage, I happened to find a sawzall tucked back behind a plastic container. Perfect!

Walking back into the house, the little boy started crying when he saw the saw in my hands.Trying to help diffuse the situation, I bent down and let him touch the sawzall. It worked!

With his momma holding his covered foot still, I cut through one of the slats. A few moments later, his foot freed, all was well.

Tabitha and I got into car and laughed for a bit afterwards. The entire situation being very surreal. Leave it to a little boy to get his foot wedged in a wooden chair.

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