More Spiritual Than God?

Have you ever thought yourself more spiritual than God ? Of course, we’d never say anything like that aloud, but sometimes our actions hint at it.

Once I was praying and meditating. I thought of something I would like to do for the Lord. But that thought quickly gave way to another, “If I did that and was successful, I might get puffed up with pride. Then God would have to put a thorn in my flesh, like He did for Paul, so that I wouldn’t be proud. I don’t want that, so I’ll just forget doing this thing.” Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was something hard that God allowed to happen to him so that he wouldn’t be filled with pride, because God had used him so much.

Sounds pretty holy doesn’t it? Old David’s nearly a spiritual giant because he doesn’t want pride in his life. (Actually pride didn’t worry me. It was that specter of a thorn in the flesh that had me concerned).

Do you know what God spoke in my heart? “David, you’re like the man who took the talent that I gave and buried it in his backyard.” I thought of the story in the Bible where an important man had given three of his employees money to invest. Two of them had put the cash to work and done well for their employer.

The third one was a timid sort. When it came time to report, he said in effect, ” I knew you were a hard man. I was afraid of losing your money, so I hid it. Here it is!” Nothing lost, but nothing gained either. No interest. Nothing. I suppose the fellow brushed the dirt off the money and tried to hand it back.

His boss came unglued. Fired the fellow on the spot. You don’t trust people to invest your money, so that they can bury it in a cookie jar somewhere. If you give someone something to invest, you expect your money with a profit on the venture.

But what if you goof up?

I finally understood: it’s better to fail, trying to do what God asks you to do, than to successfully do nothing. A THORN IN THE FLESH IS FAR BETTER THAN A BURIED TALENT. (Excuse me for screaming but I didn’t want you to miss that).

Have you looked around your backyard lately? There with all those old bones that Rover and Fido buried, did you hide something that God gave you to do? “I’m afraid I can’t do it! I’m afraid I’ll fail! I’m afraid I’ll get proud and God will have to humble me! I’m afraid that..”

If God put something in your heart, do it. If you fail, you fail. If you get proud, He knows how to deal with you (in love). But do it.

Don’t try to be more spiritual than God.

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