Don’t Throw Rocks on Your Relational Path of Blessing
Blessed is everyone that feareth (reverence) the Lord, that walketh in His ways! Psalm 128:1
We all want to have blessed relationships. For example, we desire God to help us resolve a conflict with a friend, so we pray for peace. Maybe we want to get along with a difficult co-worker so we ask God for patience, or perhaps we desire a closer relationship with our mate, so we pray.
But even though we ask for God’s help we can “throw rocks” on our relational path of blessing if we hold a grudge, refuse to forgive, harden our heart, or say spiteful things to the exact person we are praying about and asking God for help with. Remember this: You can’t walk God’s way and also dance with the devil. You can’t expect good results with bad behavior, blessing follows obedience.
Last year, I had some “rocks” in my hand when I got hurt by someone close to me. It wasn’t a big thing, but my emotions felt like it was a big thing, so out of self-protection my heart was screaming, “Throw them!” But instead of reacting, I laid those rocks down because I know that no good thing comes from going against God’s ways. Nothing good comes from throwing rocks on the path of one’s own relational blessing.
“And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked’” But He said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:27-28)!
Maybe you are in the middle some kind of heated tension with a loved one. Maybe you are wrestling a neighbor. Deep down you know you want peace, but the sinful part of you wants to throw those rocks by gossiping, retaliating, scheming, or just being unkind. Let me encourage you. Lay down your rocks and hold out your hands in submission to God instead. Then do your relationship His way. You’ll be glad you did.
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (James 1:21-25).
Prayer
Lord, no matter how badly I want to throw rocks against your will, help me to obey you and remember that blessing follows obedience... Amen.
Application
Make an honest assessment of your heart condition. If you are saying you want to handle your relationship God’s way, but in your heart you know you don’t entirely have the right intentions, align your actions and your motivations.
Related Readings
John 13:17; Luke 6:46-48; James 4:17
