Sister2Sister from Celeste
Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered…..
Luke 12:7
Good morning my dear sister!
Uh-oh, I’ve lost my step counter…. I need a tracker for my tracker! It’s not the first time I’ve misplaced it, in fact, it’s not even my first step counter! I used to have one of those expensive name-brand ooh~la~la ones, but it was so tiny and sleek it didn’t take long for me to lose it..
My presently misplaced step tracker is just a cheapo digital thing, it doesn’t even count the millions of stairs I climb every day! I like it though because it’s hard to cheat. My expensive one gave me credit for practically every move I made. When I discovered that I could simply shake that baby up and down in my hand, I could get credit for climbing the stairs all the way to heaven!
Isn’t that just like our human nature to find shortcuts, fudge results and to ‘fix’ things to look better than they really are? Maybe it’s just as silly as shaking your F*tb*t to get in extra ‘steps’ or as serious as doing something to circumvent God’s will. What is it about us that makes us so resistant to making an honest effort?
As followers of Jesus, we want to walk in His footsteps, go the way He goes, but sometimes we still try to sneak in a shortcut, go around an obstacle or think our plan is better than His. Perhaps we hope that God won’t notice, or even worse, we mistake our desires for His desires!
But God does notice! He says He watches over us so faithfully that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads, both before and after brushing! He is more up to date about what’s going on with us than we are ourselves!
In the same passage in Luke 12, Jesus warns us not to fall prey to any kind of deception and not to be afraid of those who persecute us. Why? Because He knows that when we get out of step with the world and into step with Him, we are going to face some persecution not only from worldly perceptions, but religious ones too.
The crowds in Luke 12 were eager to hear Jesus, they had probably traveled together a long distance to hear the legendary Teacher, yet they showed no regard for their fellow human beings. They crowded each other so much to get a good view that some people were trampled!! Jesus warned them to recognize and be aware of their own hypocrisy and that of false teachers.. He told them they would be persecuted, but not to fear, even persecution unto death, because their persecutors only had power over the body, but not the soul.
These are hard words for our ears of flesh to hear! But Jesus encourages them, and us, that there is only One whom we should fear. The One who has the power and authority over our souls! The One who knows every thought and intent of our hearts just as easily as He knows the number of hairs on our heads.
Yet, we can take comfort in Him knowing us so well! Jesus assures us that we are of great value to God! When we acknowledge His sovereign authority in our lives, He promises to guide us into all truth! (John 16:19) Remember, dear sister, that it is He who loved us first, long before we came to love Him in return! God is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
I’m so glad that God never loses track of us! In His love for us, He is patient and faithful even when we lose track of Him or try to cover up our shortcomings. His warnings are for our good because the danger is real! There will always be tramplers of our faith. He will give us wisdom and discernment to keep away from the pitfalls and folly of unbelief.
Is there an area in your life that you try to keep hidden from God? Are you trying to find a shortcut to the goal He has for you?
Let’s pray this prayer together and give Him permission to mold us into His image and desires. Thank you Lord for Your unfailing faithfulness, Your unflagging patience, and the peace and encouragement Your Holy Spirit gives us day by day, sometimes moment by moment. Please strengthen us to resist the temptation to cut corners, cover our mistakes and cheat You of the time and love that is Yours alone. Help us to love You more fully and obey You more consistently, that You may be glorified in our lives and conversations. And thank you too, for the hairs on our heads, many or few, just as You already know! We give You all the glory, in Jesus’ name!
Hallelujah!