Day One Hundred Seven “Yielding”
That old train overpass has been there for years, a landmark from my childhood. I remember passing under it while riding my crowded school bus, barely clearing its arched, stone roof, squeezing through that narrow tunnel. I recall walking under that ancient structure on the way to the local creek that weaves a path beside that quiet two-lane country road. After establishing our own home, we still passed that way often, going to the local grocery store, the bank, the Twin Kiss Ice Cream Shop (YUM), just about anywhere. The two-lane road narrows to one lane at that underpass and everyone was aware of the unspoken traffic rule: you yield to whoever arrives there first, acknowledging that yielding of the right-of-way with a brief flash of your headlights. No problems, that uncomplicated, mannerly system worked well for decades. But in this modern I-gotta-be-first-cause-it’s-all-about-me world, that unspoken rule apparently needed a more tangible reinforcement. Two stop signs have recently been installed, one on both sides of that underpass, to promote (and enforce) the concept of yielding more forcefully.
Inclined to give in; submissive; compliant; tending to give way; flexible; pliable. All definitions of the word yielding. Submission certainly isn’t an easy concept to take on, especially for those of us with a bent toward stubbornness, but it is a good way to avoid head-on collisions, isn’t it? The mark of a mature, born-again Christian can be measured by our willingness to yield to the will of God. God is not in the business of forcing His will on us, rather it is a conscious choice that we make daily. We have that opportunity to yield to Him in obedience, or to reject His best for us, settle for second best, or follow our enemy instead. We are warned repeatedly not to “…yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.” God implores us not to yield to “uncleanness” or “iniquity,” but to yield our bodies “…to righteousness unto holiness.”
The Bible is littered with lives that did not yield to God’s will, but chose to follow their own will instead, and it NEVER ends well for those involved. Their examples bring to life the verse, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves to obey, his servants ye are…” My desire is to be HIS servant, I want to be that “…living sacrifice,” wholly yielded to the One Who always has my well-being in mind. And every time that I pass under that old train track, may I be reminded of the importance of yielding my life to Him.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Lord, submission is never easy for me, so help me to learn that lesson from the One Who willingly submitted to His Father’s will to provide my salvation. Help me to see that submission to You is the best path for me, for You always have my well-being and growth in mind.
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