They are God’s Problem

 

(John 21:21-23) “When Peter saw him, he said, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus told him, ‘If it is my will for him to remain until I come back, how does that concern you? You must keep following me!’

“So the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple wasn’t going to die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to Peter that he wasn’t going to die, but, ‘If it is my will for him to remain until I come back, how does that concern you?’

(Romans 8:17) “Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah—if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Here Peter asks Jesus about John, and basically, Jesus answers him to mind his own business and to just focus on following Him. Sometimes we want to know everything God is doing and why He is doing it instead of just following Him and trusting Him. We focus so much on how God deals with others that we lose focus on what He is teaching us. They are God’s problem to deal with, not yours.

God owes us no explanation for what He does or does not do. Why do some suffer the consequences of their wrong choices or sins, while others are set free with no lasting repercussions? I guess we will never truly understand all of God’s decisions. But one thing we can be sure of is that whatever He decides is just and we will eventually agree with Him when all things are revealed to us.

Our main concern should be to make sure we are walking correctly according to God’s word and not distracted by what others are doing. There are those in the congregation we call “shovel members”. These are the people that when the Word is preached, take out their shovel, pick up that Word and throw it towards someone they think in the church needs it. They don’t realize that if that Word of correction has reached them, it is for them first.

You need to stop trying to change people around you and work on changing who you are first. Only then, will you not be offended so often and constantly complain about others. God will work on them in His time, you don’t need to take God’s place in their life. Your prosperity, destiny, and spiritual maturity are not attached to them or dependent on them, so stop behaving as if they were. You are attached to Christ and joint-heir to Him. Start living to your full potential in Christ by focusing on your personal walk with Him first.

 

(“He may let them fall before He lifts them, but He will do what’s right and what’s best. So just follow Him and learn to mow your own backyard.” – Bob Gass)

Prayers

• Jesus, You are the stem of Jesse, the root of David, the Branch.
• Thank You, God, that You have made us your children and joint-heirs with Jesus Crist.
• Teach us how to live in that authority and position instead of living like children without an identity.
• Forgive us for always looking at what others are doing and judging them.
• Forgive us for thinking that we are better than others, holier than others, more spiritual than others, and at the same time ignore the things you are trying to tell us.
• Let us be humble enough to worry about where we stand in front of you, and to continue to work out our own salvation.
• Give us the courage to examine ourselves with Your Word and to make the changes necessary in order to grow in Your ways.
• We accept that we will participate in the suffering of Christ in order to also participate in His glory.
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• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen