Restless The Podcast

Stiff Necked 

This is Steve and welcome back to another segment of Press On. This called Stiff Necked.

Usually every morning I wake up with a sniff neck and body because of arthritis i and of course theres that thing called gravity and age.

Ive often complained that I "feel like the tin man" from the wizard of Oz caught in a rain storm without an oil can.  

In Micah 6:8 God answers the Jewish people regarding what he wants from them: He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness (mercy), And to walk humbly with your God?

God was clear about what was important to Him and it wasn't their ritualistic practices it was the attitude of their hearts and in this He wanted them to walk humbly with God.

So what does humility and being stiff necked have to do with each other...they are the polar opposites. Throughout the OT God often referred to the Jews as stiff necked people this was figure of speech when describing the attitude of Israel toward God.

The term stiff necked was originally used to describe an ox that refused to be directed by the farmer…it refused to turn the head or was very slow in order to take a different path.

Sound familiar...perhaps it should. Pride, arrogance, and yes being stiff necked exist in abundance first in our own heart, particularly my own, Yet God Identifies it as an obstacle in walking with Him.

Jesus in the sermon on the mount brings attention to it when he said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This was not about material possessions He was speaking to spiritual realities: He always did: To be poor in spirit is to recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God.

There is much more to this story but for today think about this  

Unlike this world in Gods economy humility is not a weakness its a strength, and more than that the kingdom of God is only accessible when our hearts our right before God.

This is Steve and until we meet again Press ON