“I cannot kill it against your will. It is impossible. Have I your permission?” – C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
In C.S. Lewis’ novel The Great Divorce, there is a scene where an angel confronts a man tormented by lust, which is represented as a lizard perched on the man’s shoulder. The man wants to be free of the lust – which the angel says he can help him accomplish – but at first he tries to make excuses for keeping the lizard. In the course of his argument with the angel, he exclaims, “If you wanted to help me, why didn’t you kill the damned thing without asking me – before I knew? It would all be over by now if you had.”
It is at that point that the angel says clearly, “I cannot kill it against your will. It is impossible. Have I your permission?”
There is a very great lesson here: God cannot and will not free us from sin unless we ourselves want to be freed. It isn’t enough to say, “Oh, if only I didn’t struggle with <fill in the blank>!” … if we keep on making excuses to continue in our course every time God offers to help us conquer our sin.
Do I sometimes wish God would override my free will “for my own good”? Yes, I do. But then I realize why he will never do so: he values me too much. He values my partnership in this journey called life. He values my love. He values my trust. He values my identity. He wants to pour out his power and grace and love and Spirit in my life, but he wants me to be an integral part of that outpouring. For that reason, he will not force himself on me, but is waiting patiently for my permission … and with it, my cooperation and submission … so that he can act on my behalf.
- What sins are you struggling with regularly?
- Do you want to be freed from these sins? Be completely honest. If you don’t really want to be free of one or more of these sins, why not?
- How have you been cooperating with God to overcome these sins? How have you been hindering his work in your life?
- Spend time in confession and repentance, and give God permission to do whatever is necessary to help you grow in holiness.
Copyright © 2010, Paula J. Marolewski. All rights reserved.
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“For his lovingkindness is everlasting.” – Psalm 136:1
Psalm 136 is composed of 26 verses, with the second half of each and every verse repeating the phrase “for his lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Repetition is a funny thing – it can either make you zone out, or zone in. If I read this psalm quickly, the second half of each verse begins to blur, and I find myself racing through it. I’ve even skipped the repeated phrase entirely on occasion, and just read the first portion of each verse! After all, why should I re-read a single phrase 26 times??
Or, I can zone in. There is a reason this psalm, with its 26-fold repetition, was included in the holy Scripture. And maybe – just maybe – it’s because the phrase is so incredibly important that God wants to draw our attention to it. Help us focus on it. Encourage us to plumb the depths of this wonderful truth.
Are we going to zone out, or zone in?
- Read Psalm 136 out loud. Don’t rush. Savor each word, and every repetition of the phrase “for his lovingkindess is everlasting.”
- Consider: God’s lovingkindness is everlasting … in your past, in your present, in your future, in your troubles, in your joys … in every circumstance of your life.
- What difference does it make to know that God’s steadfast love is supporting you every moment of the day?
- What can help you remember – every day – God’s eternal love for you?
Copyright © 2010, Paula J. Marolewski. All rights reserved.
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“Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, ‘Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.” – I Samuel 14:6
Do you ever feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Have you ever spent sleepless nights trying to figure out if you had enough resources to meet the demands of life? Have you ever counted up the problems and realized they outnumbered your solutions?
I have good news for you! The Lord is not restrained – he is not hindered, nothing can prevent him, and no one can stop him – from saving you! Not your personal limitations, not your financial constraints, not your past mistakes, not the size or number of your problems … nothing can restrain the Lord’s saving power.
- As you look toward the coming months, what potential problems might you face?
- What are your personal resources that you can apply toward those problems?
- What more will you need than you are able to give to face those problems?
- Spend time in prayer acknowledging your need and limitations to God, and asking for his saving grace and power to meet the challenges ahead.
Copyright © 2010, Paula J. Marolewski. All rights reserved.
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