Out of Our Own Keeping

Earlier this week I came across a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilde: “Things and persons appear to us according to the light we throw upon them from our own minds. How unconsciously we judge others by the light that is within ourselves, condemning or approving them by our own conception of right and wrong, honor and dishonor! We show by our judgment just what the light within us is”.

Our own conception of right and wrong…….? Whoa, that brings light to my hindrance. Darn me! I’ve got all this stuff inside me that I think is right or wrong but if it doesn’t line up with God’s Word then….. really …… it’s worthless. It would behoove me to remember I don’t have to believe everything I think!

"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ give yourself up to Him, [take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved". —Acts 16:31

This is what Paul and Silas told the Philippians jailer who asked them, "What must I do to be saved?" This is what salvation really means—giving ourselves up to God, taking ourselves out of our own keeping, and entrusting ourselves into His keeping. God wants to take care of us. He can do a much better job of that if we will avoid a problem called independence, which is really self-care.

The desire to take care of ourselves is based on fear. Basically, it stems from the idea that if we do it, we can be sure it will be done right. We are afraid of what might happen if we entrust ourselves totally to God and He doesn't "come through" for us. The root problem of independence is trusting ourselves more than we trust God.

String a pearl: We love to have a back-up plan. We may pray and ask God to get involved in our lives, but if He is the least bit slow in responding (at least, to our way of thinking), we are quick to take control back into our own hands. What we fail to realize is, God has a plan for us too—and His plan is much better than ours.

Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) Oh Lord, please help me take myself out of my own keeping.

Be in Sonshine and remember
You are loved,
Lyndi