My neighbor Tim has a figurine on his dashboard of a wild thing based on Maurice Sendaks beloved childrens book Where the Wild Things Are.
Not long ago Tim was following me through traffic and made some abrupt moves to keep up. When we arrived, I asked, Was that the wild thing driving?
The following Sunday I forgot my sermon notes at home. I flew out of the church to retrieve them, passing Tim along the way. When we met later, he joked, Was that the wild thing driving? We laughed, but his point hit homeI should have paid attention to the speed limit.
When the Bible describes what it means to live in a relationship with God, it encourages us to offer every part of [ourselves] to Him (Romans 6:13). I took Tims response to me that day as a gentle reminder from God to yield my lead foot, because I am to give all of myself to Him out of love.
The question of whos driving? applies to all of life. Do we let the wild things of our old sin nature drive uslike worry, fear, or self-willor do we yield to Gods loving Spirit and the grace that helps us grow?
Giving in to God is good for us. Scripture says that Gods wisdom takes us down pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17). Better to follow where He leads.
INSIGHT
Paul dismisses the notion that Gods grace permits us to do whatever we want. In fact, he finds the idea preposterous (Romans 6:2). Gods grace frees us to choose life in Him. Thats why Paul says, Offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness (v. 13).
Today, what do I need to offer to God?