Who’s in charge?

‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.’ – Judges 21.25

From Sam:

I remember as a child, I would get frustrated when I didn’t get what I wanted.  (Sometimes this is still the case, although, I like to think I have matured a little.)  The reason I didn’t get what I wanted every time I desired it, was because there were people in charge of me (as a child, my parents) who knew better than I.  They knew that just because I wanted something, it didn’t mean that it would be good for me or helpful for me to have it. 

As I’ve grown older, it is no longer my parents who are in charge of me but instead Jesus is in charge as the king and ruler of my life, and I try to live as such. 

There was a time in the Bible when the Israelites (God’s people) had an attitude problem and kept ignoring God.  Over time the Israelites forgot about God and all the amazing things He had done for them.  They ignored godly leadership and rules, instead they did whatever they wanted.  Things improved when God “raised up judges” who were a bit like kings.  But when each judge died, the Israelites ignored God again. 

Living just for themselves meant they suffered through a lot of pain because of their bad choices. 

The good news is that the Israelites’ story doesn’t have to be the story of our lives.  We can choose to live for God!  We were made to follow Jesus because He is our living Judge and King of Kings. 

When we make Jesus the ruler & king of our lives, we end up living the best life we can.  It’s not always an easy life and it doesn’t mean we get everything that we want, but it is the way God intended us to live and produces the most fruit.  Having Jesus as the one in charge of your life is to ‘have life and have it abundantly’. (John 10.10)