First, Follow

#christianity #bible #scripture #dailydevotional #devotional #spirituality #spiritualgrowth #inspiration #personalgrowth #mentorship #discipleship #spiritualprinciples #aa #recovery

I was listening recently to the media coverage of the various NFL teams' rookie mini-camps, and I heard a quote from someone that stuck out to me.

When asked how he was getting adjusted so far, the Chicago Bears first overall pick Caleb Williams said, "Well, to be honest, I'm still learning everyone's names. But seriously, I'm just trying to learn the playbook as best I can, and go out there and just be a leader. But, you have to follow before you can lead. . . . "

That quote may seem like just another sports cliche to you, but to me, it actually went off in my spirit like an alarm system, and immediately reminded me of a very important, and enduring spiritual principle.

In Alcoholics Anonymous we have a couple of different phrases that illustrate the critical importance of "following before you can lead," from a spiritual perspective.

In AA's basic text, affectionately referred to as simply, "The Big Book," there is a passage on page 164 that emphasizes this truth,

"Ask Him in your morning medi-

tation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us."

"But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got." Hmmm, an interesting thought indeed.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of The world, ultimately verifies this truth when He speaks to us about this inescapable dynamic in The Gospel of John 5:30, and then again in Matthew 7:3-5,

“I can do nothing by Myself. I say who is guilty only as My Father tells Me. That way, what I say is right, because I am not trying to do what I want to do. I am doing what the Father, Who sent Me, wants Me to do."

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye[a] when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,[b] ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."

As these powerful and poignant passages illustrate, if Jesus Christ, the Lord of all things under heaven and earth, says that He must submit to His father's will in order to have the proper power, authority, and ability to judge correctly in order to carry out God's will effectively, THEN WHO ARE WE TO SAY THAT WE DON'T NEED THE VERY SAME SUBMISSION!?

This submission then, is the essence of what it means to follow God, and of course, we have to follow, just as Jesus did and does, before we can lead others effectively.

Just how then, do we know that we are submitted to God? Well, that's a great question.

(This is by no means an exhaustive list, but for the sake of brevity, and for our purposes here today, this is a fundamental one, which will serve as a solid starting point for anyone interested.)

I would like to suggest that, for starters, there are two fundamental ways that act as barometers in telling us whether we are truly submitted.

1.) The Peace of God in our souls

As Colossians 3:15 states,

"Let the peace of God call the shots in your life. Let the peace of God be the umpire in your life and actions. Let the peace of God act as the referee in your emotions and decisions."

This truth is very simple and self-explanatory then, isn't it? God will not sanction, or bless your heart with His Peace, concerning something that He doesn't want you to do. In this way, His Peace not only comforts us, but acts as that "umpire" that Colossians speaks of, and as a sort of powerful confirming agent in our souls as to the way we should go, and the direction we should take.

Conversely, if your conscience then is bothered by something, or experiencing a lack of peace regarding a particular direction, pray about it, talk to others in whose wise counsel you trust, but most of all, listen to what God is saying to you through it. There is a good chance that that is a direction that He doesn't want you to go in!

2.) Through the evidence of your actions

"If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. (John 14:15-31)

So then, being that we as humans are inherently prone to self-deception, and seeing things the way we want them to be as opposed to how they ACTUALLY ARE, it is not enough to use peace as our ONLY barometer, or method to see if we are truly submitted to our Heavenly Father. As Jesus speaks to us clearly in the verse cited above, we need to take an additional objective view to see if our actions and our behavior are truly demonstrating our love for and submission to God in our obedience, or lack thereof, to His commands.

This leads me to one final reference to the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous, which I believe will paint another accurate picture of the points we are discussing today.

In the book, "The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions," AA co-founder Bill Wilson writes a particularly compelling treatise on the danger of disobedience to God's principles.

On page 113 of this aforementioned text, he coins a chiding phrase, "two-stepping." This phrase describes the tendency that alcoholics, (and for our purposes, human beings in general,) have when it comes to skipping steps that God has clearly outlined for us in His ordained process for personal growth and development.

When we allow either pride, which tells us we need not do them, or fear, which tells us we better not do them, to cause us to skip these simple steps of obedience to God's will for us, we are liable to suffer all sorts of negative repercussions as the result of that disobedience, sometimes grave ones.

And please don't let the illustration fool you, alcoholics aren't the only ones who suffer terrible results at the hands of their own disobedience, all human beings do, as Deuteronomy 30:19 warns us,

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

A stern warning indeed, but a loving one from our Heavenly Father, as a parent who cared in the least for their child would warn them not to play in traffic!

And so we see even from this brief overview in scripture, and from real life and current day examples in the life of a recovering alcoholic, or in any one of our daily lives for that matter, the swift and imminent consequences that are sure to come to anyone who skips these vital steps of trusting in God, and cleaning their own house, or taking their own inventory, and confessing the faults found to another in a spirit of humility.

For as James 5:16, and 1 Peter clearly tell us,

"16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16

"Likewise you younger people, ( this can also mean younger in your walk with God,) submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" 1 Peter 5:5

For if we fail to heed this warning and practice what is being commanded of us here, we shall be like, as Jesus put it in Matthew 15:14,

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

And thus we have the epidemic that we are currently facing in the Body of Christ today. It is no wonder that sexual immorality, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and sheep-beating of all kinds, whether from the pulpit or in the pews, is at an all time high.

There are plenty of good people who are practicing these principles, but they are still in the minority of churches out there, unfortunately, as these commands run diametrically opposed to our human and fleshly natures, and only those who have truly hit a bottom in trying to run their lives their own way will be open and willing to honestly try it God's way, whether pastors, leaders, or otherwise. "11 For God does not show favoritism." Romans 2:11

And, 7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Galatians 6:7

Thus we have the true meaning of the first four beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-6

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 God blesses those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 God blesses those who are humble,

for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,"

But instead of merely focusing on the problem at hand, or how challenging the commands are that have been given to us, and allowing ourselves to drift into worry, self-pity, or morbid reflection, let's instead focus on the prize in Christ Jesus that has been set before us, and the inestimable rewards that are ours if we only will sincerely admit that left to our own devices, the conditions of our souls and lives are wretched, and that if we but turn to Him in faith, and then action in accordance with His principles, we will be truly blessed beyond measure!

6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

"You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever." Ps 16:11

Questions and Reflection:

1.) When is the last time I took on honest assessment of my true spiritual condition?

2.) When is the last time I confessed my faults or sins to God, and to a trusted friend or advisor?

3.) Am I skipping steps on God's order of doing things?

4.) Am I being prideful, or hypocritical in my approach towards, or treatment of others?

Prayer:

All Loving Heavenly Father, please grant us the grace, willingness, and power to surrender to your way of doing things, that you might make us more like your son Jesus Christ, and more effective leaders of others, ever drawing them closer to you, for their good, and Your glory!

In Jesus name, Amen 🙏🏼

Please feel free to leave a comment, or ask a question. And remember, there are no stupid questions, only the ones that never get asked!

We love you, and are praying for you!

Your Brother in Christ,

• Neil David Vandenbergh