The gods of the Canaanites could be controlled because they lived in “houses” built by them. The Canaanite gods could be shaped into the belief system instead of having their belief system shaped by God. Their religious life had become an accessory or add-on. The danger was if David built a house for God that Yahweh would also become manipulated. Instead God chose to remain free. God desired to be the one who built the houses. We manipulate God when we view our faith as an accessory to our already complicated life. The commitment that God desires is a life commitment. There is no way to manipulate God when our lives are surrendered to God and God is the guiding force of our thoughts and actions. When we give our lives over to God’s agenda we have no room to manipulate God instead we can expect to be used in the service of God’s kingdom. I had to learn this lesson. When God called me into the ministry I begin to bargain with God. I would say well God if you want me to do this or be this then I need you to do this. But I was quick to learn that I was in no position to offer God a bargaining plan. As long as you view your faith as an added accessory you will be tempted to manipulate God, you will always think that you have the ability to bargain, you will always think that there is something in your life that does not belong to God. You can keep your money because you earned it. You can keep your house because you built it. You can keep your career because you climbed the ladder. All of these things become bargaining chips. We cannot manipulate God. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to surrender our rights. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to let God have full reign. To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to be in a self-surrender relationship with God. But as long as you think that you can twist God’s arm then you will never experience that life-changing, world transforming relationship.
One time when I was little I decided to catch a squirrel. I set a live trap one afternoon and sure enough it wasn’t long that I had me a squirrel. Now I hadn’t thought it through long enough to decide what I was going to do with it when I caught it. So I decided to put it in an old shoe box. So I forced it in the shoe box with a stick and slammed the lid down. I covered it in duck tape certain that the squirrel could not get out. I put it in my dads building until next morning. The next morning I though the squirrel was probably hungry so I took it some corn shucks. But to my surprise the squirrel had chewed through the cardboard box and gotten loose in my dads workshop. The only way out of this workshop was through an open window or the open door. So I opened the door and windows. I waited and all of a sudden I saw the squirrel sitting on the ledge of the window sill. And it seemed like he was taking a deep breath of air, he jumped down and ran up the nearest tree. I related this story to my grandpa and told him how upset I was that the squirrel did not want to by my pet. He said, “Squirrels are made to be free and in order for them to fulfill the reason they exist they have to roam wild.” My friend, in order for you to be blessed by God, God must be left to be free and wild. God must be allowed to roam in and out of your life. God must be given room to work. God cannot be localized, limited, or manipulated. When things are going well in our lives is when we are most tempted to put God in a box. Maybe it is the human desire to keep things as they are. We are safe as long as God is in a box. Let God out and we don’t know what God will ask of us. Let God roam wild in our lives and we may end up in Africa, Venezuela, or New Orleans. Let God run wild in our lives and we may have to tell the truth. Let God run wild in our lives and we may have to stand up for justice. Let God run wild in our lives and we may have to answer the call. Let God run wild in our lives and we may have to teach Sunday School, preach the gospel, or witness to a neighbor. Let God run wild in our lives and we may have to start taking our faith walk serious. Let God run wild in our lives and we may experience grace. We may be called to love our enemies. We may be challenged to stand when others are quiet. We may be called upon to serve. The only way to truly know this God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul is to let God roam free in your life.
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