I haven't posted in a while just because I haven't had any random thoughts inside my head that were ready to put down yet. Usually I won't post until I have the topic at least somewhat resolved in my own mind, or at least a general direction of where to go with it. Today, I was reading my Bible. Acts 7 to be exact. This is Stephen's speach to the Sanhedrin and his stoning. One thing that stood out to me was Stephen saying to his audience, "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."
What does he mean "Stiff-necked?" I know he isn't talking to me! Who does he think that he is stepping on my toes like that? My neck is rather stiff right now but I think he is more in the spiritual realm. So what does a "stiff-necked" person look like?
Have you ever heard anyone say, "that isn't the way we've always done it."? I sure have. I am a Baptist after all. Amoung other things I think that he is refering to someone who is so set in their ways, so used to a certain way of doing things that they can not even turn their heads to look at a new way. STUBBORN. So stubborn that they "always resist the Holy Spirit."
One thing that I am convinced that the church, ME included, is lacking today is Flexibility. We lay out our plans, make sure that everything is the way that we want it, chisel it in stone, have it notorized, get it voted on, and do all we can to make sure it happens. BUT, then the Holy Spirit comes and says, "Hay, I would like for you to go a different way. How about doing this..." So what do we do? Our necks get tight, stiff, and hard to turn. "But God, we have a plan already. You even gave us this plan. We need to be good stewards and follow that plan thru to the end."
We resist the Holy Spirit.
I wonder, how many times I/we have missed out on something "God-Sized" because I/we were stiff-necked and resisted the Holy Spirit? I hate to think about what God will show me when I stand before him to account for my life, all the times that I wasn't flexible, when I resisted the Holy Spirit, did my own thing all because I was being inconvenienced.
I was rather convicted today about this. I wonder what your thoughts on this matter are? I have decided to be more in tune with my neck, realizing that when it starts to get stiff, or tight I might need to do some stretches or take a muscle relaxer, maybe even get a massage to loosen those neck muscles flexible again.
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