Submit Yourselves to God

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

So submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-10)

Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you. (Psalm 55:23a)

Bernhard Plockhorst [Public domain], 

via Wikimedia Commons

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”  But they remained silent. For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” (Mark 9:33-37)

Piety

Lord, help me to offer myself to you unvarnished—free of pride, intellect, and curiosity. Show me how to be a child again.

Study

The devil’s interesting—and dangerous. He whispers all sorts of things in our ears and tries to worm his way into our souls. He knows us almost as well as the Lord. He works at our weakest points. He agrees with us that we’re really not good enough, not pretty enough not smart enough. Or he agrees with us that we are the kindest, most beautiful, most intelligent being on the planet. It doesn’t matter to him. It’s all about how he can draw us in.

On the other hand, if we reject him, the devil loses interest. He moves on to someone who’s easier to infect. Oh, sure, he keeps an eye on us, just in case opportunity presents itself. But the more we resist, the easier life becomes for us… and the less he concerns himself with us.

And that is one of the key differences between the devil and God. God always loves us, whether we submit or not, whether we question His wisdom or not. Yes, there is a day of reckoning ahead. But where the devil gets bored with our good behavior, the Lord never gives up on us, even when we are at our worst. He delights in waiting for the moment or moments when we realize we’ve made this life far harder than it has to be. He delights when we throw our cares on Him. He delights when we come to him as trusting children.

Action

Attempt not to intellectualize your relationship with the Lord, just for today.