April started out with a bang! I mean when the first day of the month lands on Easter or Resurrection Day it can’t get any better than that! Even though traditionally it was April Fool’s day as well, the only fool was death. Satan thought he had won and death had defeated life on the first Good Friday, but Sunday showed satan and death to be the real fools. For life always trumps death!
I was noticing the other day how everybody seems to want more control over their life. We live in an age where we can control more of how people perceive us thanks to face book. We control our persona via selfies we have taken of ourselves and even on face book we can tag who we want to see us in all our glory. We write stories or post our views on life, on the recent events and even post pictures of what we had for breakfast. We are in total control on face book. We stream line our television with apps such as Hulu, Netflix and others so we can watch what we want, when we want. We no longer even have to see commercials, again, we are in total control. We love our predictable, programmable lives. The only modern tech where we seem to be comfortable giving over control is driving. They are constantly experimenting with driverless cars. No thanks; I still like to feel the wheel in my hands. I still drive a car with a manual transmission, so you see, I really am a control freak with my driving. As technology increases it seems to have one common goal and that is to give us more in control of our lives and destinies. At an even younger age we grab for the virtual remote control to change the channels in our lives. We love to not only control our own lives but if we can influence those around us, well that’s frosting on the cake! We love to be in control as Burger King put it, “you can have it your way!” Yet in the kingdom of God the opposite has to take place. We need to let go and let God take over. Apostle Paul put it this way, “You are not your own, but you have been bought with a price.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20. In the kingdom of God we need to surrender all to Him and that means even my life. He now leads and I am no longer in control. Where I live and what I do is now up to Jesus. He leads and I simply follow. Sounds easy, but everything in us wants to resist letting go. Have you ever seen someone riding a rollercoaster with their knuckles turning white from hanging on the bar in front of them, eyes held shut and with screams of terror they hang on as though their life depends on it? Then sitting right next to them is their friend, hands held up freely, with a gleam in their eyes and a smile on their face beaming with sheer joy as they ride the rollercoaster; enjoying every second of the exhilarating ride. They fill the air with laughter as they go down the hill with speed that would make an Indy driver jealous. Both are riding the same ride but only one is enjoying themselves. So it is today in the church. Those who have surrendered everything to Jesus is living life with their hands held high in praise. Their laughter can be heard as the joy of the Lord fills their hearts! They are living life holding on to nothing, they no longer are in control of their lives – and it is exhilarating! The other Christian is still holding on tight to stuff, to control, they may be saved but they’re not enjoying it. I encourage you as we start this new month let go, and let God. You will not be the same and your life will no longer be a boring existence, but it will become what Jesus intends it to be – an amazing adventure!
Letting go of my remote, Pastor Rick