You might have control issues if you enjoy being spontaneous only if you can carefully plan your spontaneity. The desire to be in control is a very natural desire. The problem is God didn’t create you to live a life you could live without his help. In order to fulfill your assignment from God you’ll need to learn to let him have control. Surrendering our lives means to surrender control of our lives and this is when God’s power gets released.
2 Cor 5:15 He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. NIV
There would be no resurrection had there been no crucifixion. Jesus’ death released life.
John 12:24 Unless kernel of wheat falls to ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. NIV
Unless a seed dies - there can be no life. Not a question of if there is life in seed. The question is - will it die?
God never works with what you don’t have. God always works with what you do have. The way you manage what you do have tells you if you’ve died to yourself or not!
When God is entrusting influence to our care He’s doing so to promote His Kingdom not ours.
We live in a day where the church of our generation tends to focus on God’s wonderful plans for our lives. The cross is curiously absent in much of our modern day theology.
We were created to Flourish. God wants your life to be awesome but this truth comes with a trick. God doesn’t want you to pursue an awesome life for yourself. God wants you to provide an awesome life for others.
The painting of George Washington praying at Valley Forge is famously known as an expression of his faith. He knew what it was to have horses shot out from underneath him and to come through battle with holes in his coat but no holes in his body.
In the book, Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis we read the following excerpt:
This amazing military leader, George Washington, who now has the undivided attention of all the colonies in this new United States of America is famous and powerful. At the end of the Revolutionary war he is so famous they made him president and many spoke of making him king.
When King George III learned that George Washington intended to reject the mantle of Emperor he allegedly observed, “If he does that, (refuses to become the king of America) he will be the greatest man in the world.”
True to his word on December 22, 1783, George Washington surrendered his commission to Congress. In doing so he became an amazing example of a leader who could be trusted with power because he was willing to give it up.
Washington’s extraordinary reputation rested less on his prudent exercise of power and more on his willingness to surrender it.
Near the conclusion of Jesus ministry on earth he demonstrates the surrender of power to his disciples:
John 13:3-5 (just before the Passover feast) Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 (and washed the disciples feet).
In this instance in John 13 Jesus knew the father had put all things under his power and he modeled what do with power when you recognize God has made you powerful. He looked for ways to use that power for the benefit of other people.
Jesus was saying there is coming at time when you are going to realize God has made you powerful. When this thought occurs to you humble yourself and look for ways to use that power for the benefit of other people.
If you’re in a Boardroom, neighborhood association meeting, play rehearsal, teaching in a classroom or growing up in the wealthiest nation in the world. When you realize God has entrusted you with influence what should you do? Use that influence to serve and benefit others.
Broken people in the hands of a loving God sacrificially embrace a purpose bigger than their own.
God established a plan to routinely address our tendency to be in control. Giving has always been a part of God’s plan for worship.
Deut 14:23 The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives (TLB) = Original Biblical language says keeps the control freak in check.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Consider how you can make your giving in the coming year more about worship that includes your family.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. On a scale of 1-10 rate yourself as a control freak. 1 being you go with the flow and don’t really ask any questions. 10 being you ask questions until people trying to plan something surrender the reigns to you. Explain your answer giving some illustration that demonstrates why you gave yourself that number.
Learning to allow God to have complete control is a progressive lesson, which we never fully conquer. Even when we learn this at one stage of life we must learn it on a new level at the next stage of life. Ultimately this requires us to die to ourselves so others can live as we follow the example of Christ.
2 Cor 5:15 He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. NIV
We are created by God to flourish! God wants our lives to be awesome but this truth comes with a trick. God doesn’t want us to pursue awesome lives for ourselves. God wants us to provide awesome lives for others. This is what makes our lives awesome!
Gal 2:20 I’ve been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. NIV
God never created you to live a life you could live on your own without him. God didn’t give Moses fluency of speech. He was left in a place of having to lean on God. God doesn’t anoint the finished work. God anoints unfinished people to finish the work teaching us to rely on him along the way.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. What are some selfless patterns we can put into practice that help remind us to live for purposes beyond our own?
3. How does tithing on our income address this in our lives?
Deut 14:23 The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives (TLB)
Taken from Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
This amazing military leader, George Washington, who now has the undivided attention of all the colonies in this new United States of America is famous and powerful. At the end of the Revolutionary war he is so famous they made him president and many spoke of making him king.
When King George III learned that George Washington intended to reject the mantle of Emperor he allegedly observed, “If he does that, (refuses to become the king of America) he will be the greatest man in the world.”
If he chooses not to exercise his power for his own benefit he will be the greatest man in the world.
Washington’s extraordinary reputation rested less on his prudent exercise of power and more on surrendering it.
True to his word on December 22, 1783 George Washington. Surrendered his commission to Congress and announced having finished the work assigned to me I now retire from the greater theater of action.
In doing so he became an amazing example of a leader who could be trusted with power because he was willing to give it up.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
4. Our Action Point this week is to purpose to use influence you’ve been given to make a difference in somebody’s life. What will you do to make this effort?