Lessons from JH Ranch - Part 6

G.O.D. - Gratitude, Obedience, Dependence

So I have a confession to make. I have started listening to Rat Pack music - you know, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin etc… I still have a wide range of musical tastes that is usually dictated by my environment - lake (country) and so on. But, I love to listen to that style of music when I play golf. It kind of makes me feel like I am getting older (which I am) but it just seems to fit.

The anthem of that era is Sinatra’s song “My Way.” Everybody knows that one and I love it like everyone else. But, like many great songs, the lyrics fall short from being great as well. Don’t get me wrong, I love the song’s spirit and inspiration to be original but the closing stanza leaves me flat.

For what is a man, what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say all the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows, I took the blows
But I did it my way

The writer of those lyrics is trying to bring a powerful close to the song. In trying to attribute strength to a man, he stresses that all a man really has is himself, that kneeling is weak, and that we alone have to absorb the blows of life. Fortunately, as a Christian, none of these things are true. We are not on an island unto ourselves; we choose to kneel to our Maker and it was Jesus who took the our blows for us.

It’s easy for most people to recognize God as Creator - I mean, who really wants to believe that we all came from monkeys? Recognizing Jesus as our Savior is another step in faith - who doesn’t want to be saved?!? But, this is where is gets harder - do we really want to recognize Him as Lord who governs our lives? Here is a truth that we all need to be aware of:

Everybody wants a Savior, not everybody wants a Lord.

In order to have a Lord, we must be willing to yield, submit and surrender to Him. That comes into direct conflict with what culture tells us about being independent and living a self-centered life devoid of any other authority. But what culture won’t tell us is that a life of total independence actually leads us to bondage as we become imprisoned by desires that can never be completely satisfied. Having a Lord requires that we live with humility, not worldly pride. It means living in obedience and dependence on Him. And this is what leads us to freedom.

Live life “G.O.D.’s way” which is with gratitude, obedience and dependence.

Stay hungry,

Big E