Conforming (phase 2), Three Types of Attitude in Scriptural Case Studies (step14), session 1

This step will use a scriptural example of each of the three attitudes elucidated in the previous step (which I included in my final session as I found it most revelatory to consider the three attitudes together). In this step I expect it will make more sense to reflect on each scriptural example separately. Again, I will not be limiting myself to financial considerations here, though I can see that this area is also due some attention.

The First Type:

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 

And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 

At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.  - Mk 10, 17-22

Each of these examples is certain to imperfectly mesh with the three illustrations from the last step/session. This man represents the first type because he knows, because Jesus has told him, that he should give away his wealth.  In the previous step, the first couple did not consider whether it was truly God's will for them to give away their wealth; they simply assumed that they should based on their own understanding. (This is how this scriptural example departs from the first type in the parable.) However, the underlying result is the same: the man goes away and appears unwilling to follow through on what Jesus has told him to do, just as the first couple failed to allow their belief that they should give away their wealth to actually spur them into action, to truly change them.

We need to be careful how we decide what we believe God is telling us to do. That was a key part of the Three Types discussion from the previous step.  The biggest obstacle to our truly seeking God's will is that we are afraid that God will tell us to do what we do not want to do. Sometimes he does! At other times, he merely reminds us that what he wants for us is more trustworthy than what we want for ourselves. This is true in our finances, our relationships . . . in every part of our lives, really.

For instance, I can't help but wonder: did our decision last night to retake control of our laundry situation today - when we really didn't have the cash on hand yet to do it - interfere with a way that God wanted to provide for our needs, or perhaps for someone else's?

I see the people around me choosing to do whatever it takes to get their needs met, without consideration of whether that choice contradicts God's clearly-revealed plan for our lives.

Am I doing any differently?

I know that I'm trying to.