1.6.10 "The Bitter Fruit of 'My Way'"

"The Bitter Fruit of 'My Way'"

Genesis 13:5-15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6:1-10
Proverbs 1:29-33

Remember the jingle, "Have it your way..." And then there's the song, "I did it My Way". (The objective of today's devo is to get an irritating song in your head... you know, like "Flintstones, meet the Flintstones...")

What is it about these themes? They appeal to that side of us that wants to get our way. (Not the flintstones...) Our flesh is wired for self-advancement and self preservation. This, however is not God's way.

In Proverbs, wisdom is calling out, "For you closed your eyes to the facts and did not choose to reverence and trust the Lord, and you turned your back on me, spurning my advice. That is why you must eat the bitter fruit of having your own way, and experience the full terrors of the pathway you have chosen. For you turned away from me - to death; your own complacency will kill you. Fools! But all who listen to me shall live in peace and safety, unafraid."

I was captivated by the phrases "you must eat the bitter fruit of having your own way," and "experience the full terrors of the pathway you have chosen." Wow. That sounds foreboding, doesn't it?

What is the fruit of having your own way? Lets look to the example in Genesis. It's a story we've heard before. "Lot too was very wealthy, with sheep and cattle and many servants. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds. There were too many animals for the available pasture. So fights broke out between the herdsmen..."

This is actually a lesson in "Relationships Devoted to Unity". There are a few principles in the study on unity that apply here. 1. All conflict is the result of an unmet need. (land cannot support all the herds) 2. A need can only be met through the principle of Submission. 3. Many times the submission comes from the one who "shouldn't have to".

Here's what happens. "Then Abram talked it over with Lot. 'This fighting between our men has got to stop,' he said. 'We can't afford to let a rift develop between our clans. Close relatives such as we are must present a united front!" Notice the value Abram places on unity.

Here's where submission steps in. "'I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that part over there to the east, then I'll stay here in the western section. Or, if you want the west, then I'll go over there to the east'. Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan River, well watered everywhere... the whole section was like the Garden of Eden... So this is what Lot chose."

Wait a minute... why should Abram have to do that?? He's the elder, the one who should be honored. The reason is that Abram understood Godliness. He knew that the value of unity highly outweighed "being right".

So what about the "bitter fruit of having your own way"? Well Lot got his own way. He settled near Sodom. Gen. 13:13 says, "The men of this area were unusually wicked, and sinned greatly against Jehovah." We all well know the future of Sodom & Gomorrah, but even before that happens there's a war that breaks out amongst about a half dozen kings. At the end of this war, Lot is captured, and his city & possessions taken into captivity. If you ask me, that's reaping the "bitter fruit".

If I were Abram, it probably would be in my nature to say "Well, you asked for it, you got it..." (is my life too motivated by jingles??) That's not the way Abram took. He pursued those who took Lot captive & returned everything that had been taken. Gen. 15:1 says, "Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and this is what he told him: 'Don't be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings." Notice the differing "fruits" of Lot & Abram.

In Matthew 5, Jesus is teaching these same principles in a different light. "... If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other too. If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If the military demand that you carry their gear for a mile, carry it two. Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow. There is a saying, 'Love your friends and hate your enemies,' But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true sons of your Father in heaven." Matt. 5:39-45

Godly wisdom and maturity is found in listening to his commands and denying our flesh. We so badly want to be "right" when it comes to relationships and to what we "deserve". I'm sure there's so many times that we even contend with God regarding an issue until the point he says, "Alright, have it your way..." And sure enough in one way or another we end up having to "experience the full terrors of the pathway [we] have chosen".

When we get "our way", we become complacent, and as Proverbs says, "your own complacency will kill you."

You wanna live life on the edge? Live the principle of submission. That will perk things up. There's no complacency here. When we will really see the difference is when this becomes a part of who we are. When it becomes our natural response to act in Godly submission to the needs of others, we are truly living the "R" of DREAM.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ