"I Have My Rights!"
Chapter 3 -- 73-76
However, true freedom comes when we yield our "rights" and expectations to God.
Jesus is our true example of One Who yielded His rights to God. Jesus gave a description of Himself in the Bible and this is what He said:
Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle [or meek] and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
We know that Jesus was perfect and the character he embodied was perfect, too, and you and I cannot hope to attain such perfection this side of Heaven! We also realize that left to ourselves, there is not one good thing in us.
On the other hand, according to Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have access to God's grace that enables us to do all things! He empowers me to respond without anger when I feel my rights have been violated.
Meekness is yielding all my personal rights to God, so He is free to accomplish His will in and through me.
Reflecting Upon the Lord
Jesus Christ is the source of all things. He is the power that sustains and rules the world that we live in. He works out all things to bring glory to himself. Our Lord is all-powerful and every knee shall someday bow and declare Him the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He deserves our praise.
Romans 11:36, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."
And yet, He gave up all of His rights. These were not perceived rights, but they were the rights legitimately due Him.
Philippians 2:8, "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
The Lord asks us to learn to do the things He does. The same "rights" we hold onto and refuse to yield to God will turn into bondage for us. However, if we yield our "rights" to the Lord, He will lead us into freedom.
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