Just How Special Are You?
Journal 2005 03 11
Just How Special Are You?
“The palace intrigue continues.” One of my favorite lines quoted in response to a series of multi-motivated, self-serving bureaucratic back channel maneuvers by local government employees. And nothing about human nature changes until the intrusion of the Spirit of God puts human nature with all of its unholy desires under His divine government seated in Heaven.
Winter returns to Fort Mandan with a chilling reminder that the sun has not yet made its turn north. A cold wind blows and snow falls late in the day. Another chill wind is blowing and this invisible wind takes form in new demands from Charbonneau, the hired interpreter, that his new demands be met before he would continue with them in the spring.
No guard duty, no labor other than interpreting, as many of the provisions as he wants and the ability to quit and go home at any time. My Dad always called this “getting staky”. Some would call it “getting too big for your britches”. Others would call it rebellion. The Captains called him out and responded with an emphatic, “NO!” and gave him overnight to think over his demands and rescind them.
Have I ever thought I was so important that I deserved to be treated differently than everyone else? Probably most of my life. Pastor Norm Willis calls this entitlement. “I’m so special I’m entitled to whatever I demand.” We are like Charbonneau with God. “I’ll do what you want if…” It is easy to see the foolishness of Charbonneau’s demands. Are we able to recognize our own foolishness? Human nature rationalizes ours into “reasonable and appropriate demands”. Foolishness and rebellion any way you want to measure it.
This is a good time to remember that the Corps of Discovery was a military force on a military mission. In today’s military terms we would say they were on a “recon” mission. “Good order and discipline” rule all military work. Captains Lewis and Clark understood immediately that Charbonneau’s request was far outside their need for good order and discipline. Their denial of his request was easy and instant.
Military government exists for the accomplishment of the mission. Civil government exists for the “common good”. And government in the Kingdom of God exists as a foundational example for all of the rest. Good order, common good, advancement of the kingdom, Godly rule and all the blessings that follow it.
So the question for me, and for all of us, from this two-century-old recording of human history is, “Are you making selfish demands of God because you are so vital to His mission that He can’t succeed without you?”
If you are, repent of rebellion now before He gives you the night to think it over and come into your right mind. We are to be about His mission. In Him, and in His work, we find our purpose and worth. In our selfishness, we find only foolishness and destruction.
Just How Special Are You?
“The palace intrigue continues.” One of my favorite lines quoted in response to a series of multi-motivated, self-serving bureaucratic back channel maneuvers by local government employees. And nothing about human nature changes until the intrusion of the Spirit of God puts human nature with all of its unholy desires under His divine government seated in Heaven.
Winter returns to Fort Mandan with a chilling reminder that the sun has not yet made its turn north. A cold wind blows and snow falls late in the day. Another chill wind is blowing and this invisible wind takes form in new demands from Charbonneau, the hired interpreter, that his new demands be met before he would continue with them in the spring.
No guard duty, no labor other than interpreting, as many of the provisions as he wants and the ability to quit and go home at any time. My Dad always called this “getting staky”. Some would call it “getting too big for your britches”. Others would call it rebellion. The Captains called him out and responded with an emphatic, “NO!” and gave him overnight to think over his demands and rescind them.
Have I ever thought I was so important that I deserved to be treated differently than everyone else? Probably most of my life. Pastor Norm Willis calls this entitlement. “I’m so special I’m entitled to whatever I demand.” We are like Charbonneau with God. “I’ll do what you want if…” It is easy to see the foolishness of Charbonneau’s demands. Are we able to recognize our own foolishness? Human nature rationalizes ours into “reasonable and appropriate demands”. Foolishness and rebellion any way you want to measure it.
This is a good time to remember that the Corps of Discovery was a military force on a military mission. In today’s military terms we would say they were on a “recon” mission. “Good order and discipline” rule all military work. Captains Lewis and Clark understood immediately that Charbonneau’s request was far outside their need for good order and discipline. Their denial of his request was easy and instant.
Military government exists for the accomplishment of the mission. Civil government exists for the “common good”. And government in the Kingdom of God exists as a foundational example for all of the rest. Good order, common good, advancement of the kingdom, Godly rule and all the blessings that follow it.
So the question for me, and for all of us, from this two-century-old recording of human history is, “Are you making selfish demands of God because you are so vital to His mission that He can’t succeed without you?”
If you are, repent of rebellion now before He gives you the night to think it over and come into your right mind. We are to be about His mission. In Him, and in His work, we find our purpose and worth. In our selfishness, we find only foolishness and destruction.
posted by @2007 Dick Cinkovich | 10:41 PM
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