“TRADITION OF THE ELDERS!”

 Mark 7:5-8                    (ESV)

“[5] And the PHARISEES and the SCRIBES asked HIM (JESUS), “Why do YOUR disciples not walk according to the “TRADITION OF THE ELDERS”, but eat with defiled hands?” [6] And HE said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 

    “‘This people honors ME with their lips,

        but their heart is far from ME; 

    [7] in vain do they worship ME,

        teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

    [8] You leave the commandment of GOD and hold to the tradition of men.””

How many times do I hold the “TRADITION OF THE ELDERS” in front of what THE WORD (John 1:1) instructs me to do???

We need to SLOW DOWN and spend more instructional time in THE WORD and NOT be so concerned with the “TRADITION OF THE ELDERS”!!!

“Mark 7:6b-7”

 Mark 7:6b-7                    (ESV)

“[6] b…“‘This people honors ME with their lips,

        but their heart is far from ME; 

    [7] IN VAIN do they worship ME,

        teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

“CALL TO ME!”

 Jeremiah 33:3                    (ESV)

“[3] “CALL TO ME” and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

“The WORD of the LORD” (Jeremiah 33:1) is WHO is being recorded speaking to Jeremiah.  JESUS is referred to in John 1:1 as THE WORD! I find it “interesting” (to say the least!) that these two places in THE WORD OF GOD are meant to identify different beings???

When “the WORD of the LORD” instructs us to do ANYTHING, it would obviously DRAW us to do what HE is saying???  But sometimes we are moving TOO FAST in the pace of “this world” to HEAR from our CREATOR!?!  When HE tells us to “CALL TO ME”, it makes sense to me that I need to “CALL TO ME” rather quickly and fervently!!!

Are our EYES OPENED to fully understand that the BEING that gives us life is saying to us “CALL TO ME”???  HE is patiently waiting to hear from we who HE has given air to breathe!  I am headed to my PRAYER CLOSET to “CALL TO ME”!!!

“THE LORD ESTABLISHES HIS STEPS!”

 Proverbs 16:9                    (ESV)

   “The heart of man plans his way,

        but “THE LORD ESTABLISHES HIS STEPS.”

In talking with a dear friend recently, we were speaking about the “turmoil” that his family has experienced this year.  He and his wife have had a period of time where NOTHING seemed to go right!  

But a LOT of times that is the case for humanity!  Another translation of the BIBLE says “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps”!! ALMIGHTY GOD must have a way of recording what “we plan” versus what and how HIS PLAN plays out???  

On July 09, 2007 my mind was only beginning to be ILLUMINATED to SEE how much I was missing the MARK!  The events of the next few years OPENED my EYES to the FULLNESS of HIS GRACE in a WAY HE can only be credited with!!!  I could never have imagined how things have transpired.  BUT GOD!!!

We make “our plans”, but very often GOD has to adjust our schedules to “fit” HIS PLAN!! We need to come to grips with the fact that “THE LORD ESTABLISHES HIS STEPS”, we only get to walk the PATH HE designed for us!!!

“Psalms 87:7”

 Psalms 87:7                    (NASB)

“Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes will say, “All my springs of joy are in YOU.”

“DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!”

 Proverbs 3:5-6                    (ESV)

   “[5] TRUST IN THE LORD with all your heart,

        and “DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING”. 

    [6] In all your ways acknowledge HIM ,

        and HE will make straight your paths.”

So many times I find myself in a rush for a decision, and almost inevitably the timing is at a critical moment in my life!  Relying on what “I believe” is the correct answer for my future might be the most critical decision I could make, and that is usually when “the enemy” BLOCKS me from HEARING from my CREATOR?  Usually the biggest problem is I am not TRUSTING IN THE LORD, but I tend to LEAN ON MY UNDERSTANDING to do what is right???

Making excuses about what is the CORRECT thing to do can be PRECISELY what GOD is trying to teach me. Had I been consulted regarding my condition in July 2007, I probably would have “pulled the plug” after about a week in the coma?  BUT GOD HAD A PLAN that entailed me SLOWING DOWN, so HE left me in a coma for SEVENTEEN DAYS!  SEVENTEEN YEARS later I am eternally changed, operating more closely to HIS TIMEFRAME!!

There are “somethings” that I have to EXPERIENCE to fully comprehend what GOD is trying to teach me???  “DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING” is not a suggestion to me, it is a COMMAND!!!  It might be an uncomfortable position, but I have to understand that TRUE HEALING takes more time than what this novice understands!!  I MUST have the premise of “DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING” engrained in my mind to avoid allowing “the enemy” to control my actions!!!

“MY WORDS!”

Proverbs 4:20-27                    (ESV)

   “[20] My son, be attentive to “MY WORDS”;

        incline your ear to MY sayings. 

    [21] Let them not escape from your sight;

        KEEP THEM WITHIN YOUR HEART””. 

    [22] For THEY ARE LIFE to those who find them,

        and healing to all their flesh. 

    [23] Keep your heart with all vigilance,

        for from it flow the springs of life. 

    [24] Put away from you crooked speech,

        and put devious talk far from you. 

    [25] Let your eyes look DIRECTLY FORWARD,

        and your gaze be straight before you. 

    [26] PONDER the path of your feet;

        then all your ways will be sure. 

    [27] Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

        TURN YOUR FOOT AWAY FROM EVIL.”

As I “ponder” the path that I have taken in my life, I am left almost bewildered by how vile and disgusting of my oftentimes behavior.  The “choices” in my life were not always the ones that I am proud of, nor the results of those choices!  Yet I have been BLESSED with a wife and children/grandchildren who make decisions that draw honor and glory to our CREATOR!

Our behavior is not always what we are proud of.  As a matter of fact, the “choices” I made have often caused me to regret my decisions to travel the journey I have traveled.  But ALMIGHTY GOD takes those “choices” to manifest HIS SOVEREIGNTY and deliver me FOR HIS GLORY!  

One thing that I need to have etched into my heart is to be more attentive to “MY WORDS”; incline your ear to MY sayings”!  ALMIGHTY GOD desires for us to look DIRECTLY FORWARD and to avoid some of the things that will harm us.  “MY WORDS” may lead us into turmoil, but HE WILL DELIVER us through and ALL of the GLORY will belong to HIM!!!