I have been contemplating adjustments as of late. We all have to make them. Our bodies continually have to readjust to the temperature outside. As the heat intensifies and the thermometer continues to climb we have to get acclimated. With the help of GPS devices we can now make adjustments in our travel plans depending on variables like road construction, traffic accidents, or inclement weather.
Life is a series of adjustments. As our body ages we have to make adjustments in what we eat and what activities we can and cannot do. My mind tells me I can still play basketball with my sons like I was twenty two but at the end of every game my knees remind me that I am forty two. Eating pepperoni pizza late at night doesn’t sit as well in the digestive state as it did when I was a teenager.
To adjust to something as defined by the Webster’s New International Dictionary is, “to adapt or conform as to a new environment – to arrange or regulate so as to fit, match, or produce a desired result.” Synonyms for the word adjust include; adapt,alter,calibrate,modify, and tune. We are continually faced with the challenge of adapting and conforming to our circumstances. When prices at the gas pump soar we have to adjust our budgets accordingly. When the other team is succeeding, the coaches make half time adjustments to produce the desired result of winning the game. When the child does not comply we are forced to take away privileges. Adjustments are sewn into the fabric of our lives.
If making life adjustments is a normal part of living from the cradle to the grave why do we have such a hard time when God calls us to make adjustments? There is no doubt about it, God does call people to adjust the course of their lives, modify behaviors and habits, and to fine tune our priorities. Let me illustrate with a few examples from the Bible. “And as He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And they immediately left the nets and followed Him.” [Mark 1:16-18]
Let’s try and wrap our minds around the adjustments Peter and Andrew were called by Jesus to make. They were called to change their profession, to change the direction of their lives, and to leave the safe and familiar to follow a stranger into the unknown. Suppose the Lord showed up in your life and simply said, “Follow me.” Suppose that following Him meant great adjustments in your life and those adjustments affected more than just you but also the people near you. Would you follow?
That is exactly what Abram was called to do in [Gen 12:1]. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.” God shows up in Abram’s life uninvited and calls Abram to make major adjustments that not only affect Him but affect His wife and other relatives as well. Jesus did the same thing in Paul’s life in Acts 9. Paul was called by Jesus to a life and ministry of hardship and suffering but Paul followed. Paul’s adjustment to his ministry can be summed up in what we read in [Acts 20:24]. “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
Some adjustments God calls us to make seem minor as our character is refined and we seek to live in holiness. Other adjustments are more major as God calls us to take steps of faith trusting Him for a desired outcome. Ever so often the Lord calls us to make adjustments that altar the whole course of our lives like getting married or having children or pursuing a different career path.
Adjustments are part of life. This past week while riding my bike I began to notice my gears did not change as smoothly and there were several noises coming from the bike I had never heard before. This alerted me that I need to get the bike into the shop for some adjustments and a tune up. We do the same things for our vehicles but why do we balk when God steps into our lives and calls for adjustments. You cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ if you are unwilling to make the adjustments He calls you to make. Some of those adjustments are about as fun as sculpture coming in with a chisel to refine and shape us. Sometimes those adjustments feel more like a chainsaw cutting away what the dross. As a disciple and in response to His grace which has offered us forgiveness of sin and life everlasting with Him, I must submit to the adjustments even when they hurt and trust that in the long run they are in my best interest.
I want to conclude this article with a few verses from the mouth of Jesus. I don’t think any further commentary will be needed. “…If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” [Matt 16:24-26]
Life is a series of adjustments. As our body ages we have to make adjustments in what we eat and what activities we can and cannot do. My mind tells me I can still play basketball with my sons like I was twenty two but at the end of every game my knees remind me that I am forty two. Eating pepperoni pizza late at night doesn’t sit as well in the digestive state as it did when I was a teenager.
To adjust to something as defined by the Webster’s New International Dictionary is, “to adapt or conform as to a new environment – to arrange or regulate so as to fit, match, or produce a desired result.” Synonyms for the word adjust include; adapt,alter,calibrate,modify, and tune. We are continually faced with the challenge of adapting and conforming to our circumstances. When prices at the gas pump soar we have to adjust our budgets accordingly. When the other team is succeeding, the coaches make half time adjustments to produce the desired result of winning the game. When the child does not comply we are forced to take away privileges. Adjustments are sewn into the fabric of our lives.
If making life adjustments is a normal part of living from the cradle to the grave why do we have such a hard time when God calls us to make adjustments? There is no doubt about it, God does call people to adjust the course of their lives, modify behaviors and habits, and to fine tune our priorities. Let me illustrate with a few examples from the Bible. “And as He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And they immediately left the nets and followed Him.” [Mark 1:16-18]
Let’s try and wrap our minds around the adjustments Peter and Andrew were called by Jesus to make. They were called to change their profession, to change the direction of their lives, and to leave the safe and familiar to follow a stranger into the unknown. Suppose the Lord showed up in your life and simply said, “Follow me.” Suppose that following Him meant great adjustments in your life and those adjustments affected more than just you but also the people near you. Would you follow?
That is exactly what Abram was called to do in [Gen 12:1]. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.” God shows up in Abram’s life uninvited and calls Abram to make major adjustments that not only affect Him but affect His wife and other relatives as well. Jesus did the same thing in Paul’s life in Acts 9. Paul was called by Jesus to a life and ministry of hardship and suffering but Paul followed. Paul’s adjustment to his ministry can be summed up in what we read in [Acts 20:24]. “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
Some adjustments God calls us to make seem minor as our character is refined and we seek to live in holiness. Other adjustments are more major as God calls us to take steps of faith trusting Him for a desired outcome. Ever so often the Lord calls us to make adjustments that altar the whole course of our lives like getting married or having children or pursuing a different career path.
Adjustments are part of life. This past week while riding my bike I began to notice my gears did not change as smoothly and there were several noises coming from the bike I had never heard before. This alerted me that I need to get the bike into the shop for some adjustments and a tune up. We do the same things for our vehicles but why do we balk when God steps into our lives and calls for adjustments. You cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ if you are unwilling to make the adjustments He calls you to make. Some of those adjustments are about as fun as sculpture coming in with a chisel to refine and shape us. Sometimes those adjustments feel more like a chainsaw cutting away what the dross. As a disciple and in response to His grace which has offered us forgiveness of sin and life everlasting with Him, I must submit to the adjustments even when they hurt and trust that in the long run they are in my best interest.
I want to conclude this article with a few verses from the mouth of Jesus. I don’t think any further commentary will be needed. “…If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” [Matt 16:24-26]
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