Jesus said…
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” Luke 6 24-26
I was led to look at all the scriptures containing the word ‘woe’ this morning. Jesus actually said ‘woe’ a lot. Jesus certainly said it to the professional spiritual leadership group a lot. Do we take the warnings from Jesus seriously?
I would love to be the person who could write great uplifting poetry, or inspirational verses and lyrics set to music, but obviously that is not my gift. The gift of macro vision and strategy can be a great help to the community ONLY if people are willing to listen. The call of a Watchman in Ezekiel 33 is a hard calling, not easily fulfilled or desired. So is the calling to the prophetic which reveals the reality of the spiritual and the physical of a situation. There are many callings from Him although not pretty are vital to the health of the person. Paul addresses those ‘parts’ of the Body as ‘unpresentable’ yet are vital and required. (1 Corinthians 12:12-29)
If God calls you to speak the Truth in the hard place – that is NOT a fun task to take or navigate. Here the work and reliance on the Holy Spirit is paramount as well as the humility characteristic that must be present in those situations. So many slip into pride, or fear, or manipulation as tactics to convince people, when it should ONLY be the direct words from the Spirit of God and no more.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
To walk rightly in a calling of God requires spiritual maturity. How does one grow into spiritual maturity? Sitting in an entertainment style theater experience once a week? Or is it asking lots of hard revealing questions from an honest heart of transparency and vulnerability? What about discipline and discipleship? There are many components needed in the process to spiritual maturity.
Do you take Jesus seriously? Do you take ALL of what He said seriously as well? Do you ponder His statements and spend time asking and waiting for the Holy Spirit for understanding of those statements?
Are there any ‘woes’ that He has said to me?