John 6:61 Jesus knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you?”
I was already to sit back and enjoy my afternoon but I had one more thing to do, wash my car. Yep, I wash my own car. It gets me out of the house for a break, it’s good exercise, it’s within the budget and I get some sun while I’m at it. While I was out there my husbands truck parked at the end of the driveway had this pathetic look to it. I kept ignoring it the best I could.
My husband has a truck, because it’s a truck. He doesn’t drive a truck to look good, he drives a truck to haul stuff, to go places cars don’t go. Simply it’s for getting dirty. Don’t get me wrong he takes care of his truck, it just gets dirtier than my car (I park in the garage) and it gets dirtier quicker.
While washing my car, I heard the Holy Spirit say “wash Dave’s truck.”
Okay, put the brakes on that right now. Wash his truck!?? Seriously?!! Now?!!
It’s like a hundred degrees out here and of course let’s not mention the whole love bug thing that seems to have splattered all over the front of that monstrousity (it’s a big truck now that I’m contemplating washing it)
Your kidding me right? What is washing his truck going to accomplish? He knows I love him, he knows I would do anything for him. What if he doesn’t even notice? Why even do it?
Hey, I think it looks like rain now, if I wash it today then it’s just going to get dirty by the end of the day. Yep, by tomorrow he will have driven down some dirtroad and of course there will be puddles to drive through and all of this will be for nothing. I can even see the kids egging him on “Come on Dad, you can do it, let’s see how big of a splash you can make!”
Seriously you want me to wash the truck? Lord, is there some deep truth I’m going to get out of it? What? Are you trying to teach me about sanctification, because I can go do some topical study on that right now.
Really?! Wash the truck?!
It was not one of my finer spiritual moments I can guarantee you that. I was worse than complaining I was whining – ugh -who likes a whiner?
Well heaven opened up right then and there and those gold bricks God paved the streets with landed right on me. I think the pearly gates too.
I heard in my Spirit “Does this offend you?”
“Well now that you put it that way. Nope, I’ll get right on that” I sheepishly replied as I gathered the buckets and rags.
You know sometimes God asks us to do things we might not understand in the moment, or even years later. The one thing we do understand is we don’t understand. Sometimes the Word He gives us is just plain old hard to do. Forgiving someone of something unthinkable is hard. Climbing down off your stand even though you know your right but making the stand is just wrong is hard. Losing face, and apologizing for something you didn’t intentionally mean to happen and of all people to apologize to the most prideful unmerciful person you know, that’s tough.
God can offend us and His Word will cut you right to the bone.
I like to think of the Word of God like milk and meat.
The milk of the word are all those refreshing Scriptures that are full of promise and possibiliites. I love those Words that seem to just refresh you especially when things seem to be getting dry, weary and dreary. Ever meet someone and that’s all they know? Hmmmm
Then there is the meat. This is the Word you got to chew on, sometimes for days to really get the meaning. It’s the tough Word that sometimes doesn’t seem to go down as easily as those promises.
I look at this kind of Word like a sword. I have to ask myself, am I willing to walk into the sword, willingly. I am willing to allow Jesus to cut me through and through with the sword of the Spirit? That’s the tough word that sometimes can offend us, but if allowed to do it’s thing reaps a huge reward for God’s Kingdom.
Jesus was giving a hard Word. He was talking about abiding with Him, not just giving Him access to your heart but the throne too! He was talking about consuming Him like you would if you were starving, really starving! Ingesting Jesus into every area of your life!
This theology offends people even today.
Today take a look at the things that might be offending you and give it to Jesus, He might be trying to teach you something.
sisterhood 