Andrea loves spending time with her children and grandchildren, and enjoys cycling on the open roads with her husband, David.
Higher Thoughts, Higher Ways By Andrea Marino
God has given us free will. It is unwise to consider it ‘doing as we please’. Without a standard, people run wild. The Holy Spirit leads us to the truth. (Proverbs 29:18, John 16:13) When Jesus told the disciples, He would be leaving soon, but they could not follow at this time, Peter questioned the statement, adding emphatically, “I will lay down my life for You!” (John 13:37 HCS) A rooster crowed 3 times before Peter would deny even knowing Him. As a new Christian, Jesus was attractive to me. Attentive to my cries, meeting every need, He often granted many of my wants. But was I following Him? Sooner or later, we will grapple with Jesus being Lord over our lives. Like the disciples, wondering what happened to Him in a violent storm upon the sea, we will experience Jesus appearing more silent and distant than when we first believed. Life is not what we think, neither does it go according to our desires. At best, human reasoning is amusing. Peter’s response during the transfiguration is. (Matthew 17). Seeing the Lord, shining like the sun, talking with Moses and Elijah, jubilantly, he blurts out a plan to build three tabernacles—one for each of them. As if our time on earth was the only
life to live. Anyone would be caught up in the euphoria, witnessing the glory of the Lord. Peter’s response is endearing, coming as naturally as his explosive reaction in cutting off the ear from one of the soldiers who had come to arrest his Lord. “You cannot follow me now, but will follow later.” (John 13:36b HCS) The natural mind is blindsided to a realm very real, and yet cannot be seen with the naked eye. With limited understanding of spiritual things, the disciples’ initial focus was Jesus putting an end to Israel’s oppressors. Absolutely God’s plan before the beginning of time, it will be the final outcome. This life is about learning not to lean on our own understanding. Trusting the Holy Spirit opens us up to know God’s higher thoughts and ways. (Isaiah 55:8,9, Proverbs 3:5,6) “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mathew 16:24,25 ESV)
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