Grab the Reigns
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. ––James 1:23-25, ESV
We talk a lot about the art of “letting go” in these daily readings. The process of surrendering more of ourselves and asking God to replace “us” with more of Him. This is the great journey in a godly man’s life: to become a follower of Jesus and then progressively have the rough edges of his humanity knocked off and polished by the Father to look more and more like His Son.
But sometimes, God wants us to grab the reigns in life and take control. Relatedly, sometimes we as God’s men are way too passive. There are a lot of reasons why it’s fairly easy to slip into Christian Nice Guy mode. You know, the guy who doesn’t stand up for himself at work, or is afraid to challenge an opinion for fear of offending. I don’t think I know a single guy who enjoys confrontation—that’s not what I’m talking about. There’s a big difference between confronting when we don’t feel like it, and avoiding confrontation at all costs.
God’s man strikes a balance, knowing when to speak up and when to remain silent. On one hand, we all know that “the tongue is a fire, a world of evil” (James 3:5-6), but we also know that it’s important to speak up at the right time for the right reasons. So how do we know when it’s time for silence vs. action? Here are three ways (there are more, I’m sure) that Jesus modeled this balance in His daily interactions:
- He spoke up for the poor and “the least of these” (Matthew 19:21; 1 John 3:17; Luke 4:18).
- He took action whenever and wherever He saw sin and injustice (i.e., the woman caught in adultery; the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well; when He overturned the moneychangers’ tables in the Temple).
- He remained quiet when He knew it was the Holy Spirit’s job to move (e.g., He could have stopped Judas from betraying Him, but knew that was not the Father’s will; He could have called down an army of angels to save Him from the cross, but instead endured its ignobility for our sakes).
God cares deeply about the poor, the fatherless, and the widow. We speak up and act to fill their needs. He also calls us to challenge injustice wherever we see it—protecting the unborn; confronting evil in our cities or places of work; defending the marginalized and “least of these.” And lastly—and arguably most importantly—is that we ask for and then follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, seizing the reins means stopping and allowing God to move. As we tune our ear to hear the Holy Spirit, He will tell us when it’s time to speak, act, or wait.
Father, help me press into You and hear Your voice as You guide me to be a man of action.