Zebra Ministries

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.

Yesterday we talked about the importance of thinking of others greater than yourself, but there is one caveat, you still need to put God first.

Hebrews 12:4–6 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

As mothers and wives, I think we get pretty good at putting other people first, honestly, I think that is the job description.  But you shouldn’t put the happiness of your family above God.

I relearned this the hard way on Sunday.

Sunday morning my quiet time was spent in Hebrews 12, one of my favorite passages, this time the phrase “do not make light of the Lord’s discipline” really struck home.  When God tells you to do something or not to do something, if you refuse to listen you are “making light” of God.

According to the sources I checked the original phrase, found only here, carries these meanings: to regard someone or something as of little value, to look down on, to have contempt for, to despise.

So, if you chose to honor anyone above God and do something He has told you not to do just to make them happy, you are pouring contempt on God. 

That is what I did Sunday, I chose to make my family “happy” instead of listening to God. And I paid for it, all night I had terrible nightmares and I woke up in a very foul mood.  Of course, I blamed my husband for making me disobey God, so he paid for it too, but it wasn’t his fault it was mine.

The funny thing is, my family loves me, and they love God.  They would never want me to do anything that would put me outside of the perfect will of God. I just didn’t tell them because I didn’t want to spoil the fun.

A team will be stronger when all the members are working towards the same goal, to stay within the will of God for their lives.  We don’t do anyone any favors when we put their needs above the commands of God.  

Hebrews 12:12–13 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

The spiritual meaning of this verse is that we must strengthen ourselves, watch our own paths, not turning to the right or to the left, so that others will be encouraged to do the same. 

“No man is an island” is not found in the Bible, it was originally part of a poem written by a cleric in the Church of England in 1642, but it is still true, what we do affects others.

Love,
Jill