TEACHING

Don Atkin

MAKING DECISIONS IN THE FACE OF HUMAN TRAGEDY

Hurricane Katrina has produced new levels of human tragedy among residents of the United States. Our hearts go out to the multitudes who have lost loved ones, homes, personal possessions and jobs. Life will never be the same for most of them.

Mankind was created with the goodness of God in our hearts. Even those who have never bowed their knees to Lord Jesus Christ and yielded to His kingdom rule are called up to their best levels when given an opportunity to respond to the evident and humongous need in these hours.

Those who eat regularly from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil imbibe the potential to do good and to do evil. People tend to go one way or another when tested by crisis or tragedy. Some choose evil (looters), and some choose good (rescuers).

Followers of the Way, on the other hand, are to avoid that tree at all times and in every circumstance. We are to dine at the Tree of Life, and bear good and abundant fruit as branches who are abiding in the Vine.

We are to resist the urge to be motivated by felt and seen need all around us. Our sense of rightness and our value systems (drawn from the wrong tree) fall short of God’s higher kingdom ways.

While He (Jesus) was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted? For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her.

But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me." - Mark 14:33-7

A denarius was equivalent to a day’s wages. This perfume cost almost a year’s wages, and could have gone a long way toward temporarily alleviating suffering for a few. Human reasoning - the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - would have kept this woman from anointing Jesus’ body beforehand for the burial.

Jesus did say, Whenever you wish you can do good. It is always good to do good. It is always good to give alms to the poor. When we give to the poor, we are lending to the Lord, who repays - usually quickly, and with generous interest. He loves to multiply seed for sowing!

A HIGHER CALLING

Beloved, there is a higher calling than acting out of human reasoning, even with generosity. We have been called to obedience.

Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.

- I Samuel 15:22-24

Independent initiative requires the quenching of the Holy Spirit who broods over us with a desire to lead us into all truth and to set straight paths before our feet. We are to subordinate our wills, our thoughts, our ideas, and prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2) that comes by the renewing of our minds.

Jesus said,

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. - John 4:34

The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. - John 5:19

I can do nothing of My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. - John 5:30

I do nothing of My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

- John 8:28

I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. - John 12:49

When tragedy comes, when crisis comes, don’t ponder what to do! Seek the Lord, hear Him, and obey Him. Seeking, hearing and obeying are to be the "norm" for followers of the Way.

We don’t wait for tragedy or crisis to hit, and then learn how to discern the voice of God. If we know how to follow Him, abide in the anointing, when life is normal, we will not have a problem following Him when things are beyond normal

Tragedy and crisis times are wonderful opportunities for the supernatural, which will never be of our own initiative or drawn from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Supernatural acts are authored in heaven and manifested through obedient sons who are walking in faith by the Spirit of the living God.

I’m reading "The Supernatural Power Of A Transformed Mind" by Bill Johnson (Destiny Image). We are being changed by the renewing of our minds. The mind that independently initiates, even in response to evident need, is drawing from the wrong tree! It’s better to live by the Tree of Life and do what we see our Father doing!

It is better to imitate than to initiate!

Hear the prophet, Isaiah:

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:6-9

I’ve had too many good ideas. I’ve done too much by my own initiative. I’ve built a lot out of wood, hay and straw. I’ve produced too many "Ishmaels."

When the world is swirling around me, and everything seems to be going "loco," I want to be grounded in a walk that is ordered of the Lord. I want to manifest sonship to the glory of our Father (Romans 8:18-19). I must learn to discern His voice so that I may do the works of Him who sent me (John 14:12), thereby glorifying Him on the earth by finishing what He gave me to do (John 17:4).

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10