Submitting to God - Ezekiel 27-29 and I Peter 3
If we boil down all of the sins of the human race, we come to see that the cause is pride. Pride causes us to be lifted up, and it leads us not to submit to God. Isn't it interesting that one of the main passages about Satan comes in the middle of a prophecy against the rich trading nation of Tyre? Because of their wealth the kings of Tyre were proud, so God had to punish them. Lucifer was overcome by pride because of his beauty and importance, too, so God had to punish him. Therefore, this was the perfect place in Scripture to teach us about Satan's failure to submit to God. Sinful humans are just acting like Satan acted when sin entered the universe. Sin is always the failure to submit to God. Pharaoh was the same way. He made himself a god. He claimed to be the creator of the Nile. He was lifted up by pride because of the wealth of his country. Then, God set them back, and Egypt will never be a powerful country again. All of this shows us the destruction caused by a failure to submit to God.
In I Peter 3 we have full discussion of submission. It speaks about wives submitting to their husbands, but the underlying theme is totally submitting to God. A wife does not submit because she wants to submit, but because God said it was right. If a lady has a problem with submission, it is a pride problem. She does not want to listen to God. However, ultimately, we all have a decision to make. Are we going to be like Jesus? He submitted to God, the Father. He died for you and me, when we did not deserve it. He could have said it was unfair, and we did not warrant His sacrifice, but He did not assert His rights in pride. He gave Himself for us. The question is, "Will we give ourselves to the Lord in the same way? Will we forsake pride and submit? Our lives bear the marks of submission or pride. Which will it be?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 30-32 and I Peter 4.
In I Peter 3 we have full discussion of submission. It speaks about wives submitting to their husbands, but the underlying theme is totally submitting to God. A wife does not submit because she wants to submit, but because God said it was right. If a lady has a problem with submission, it is a pride problem. She does not want to listen to God. However, ultimately, we all have a decision to make. Are we going to be like Jesus? He submitted to God, the Father. He died for you and me, when we did not deserve it. He could have said it was unfair, and we did not warrant His sacrifice, but He did not assert His rights in pride. He gave Himself for us. The question is, "Will we give ourselves to the Lord in the same way? Will we forsake pride and submit? Our lives bear the marks of submission or pride. Which will it be?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezekiel 30-32 and I Peter 4.