Retraining former rebels

Monday: work is good

Tuesday: work is hard

Wednesday: we need to work for the King, not against him

Thursday: we have to retrain under the King to learn his ways, not our old ways.

The cool thing about being a rebel is that you don't actually have to build things, you mainly just mess things up. To be a rebel you reject authority, get an attitude, and start destroying. You have the image of being bold, decisive, wild, exciting… But in reality, being a rebel is not that satisfying. There is a sense of displacement, a lack of healthiness. At times it is cool to hang out with other rebels, because they also seem bold, decisive, wild, exciting… until there rebel ways mean they mess things up with you, too.

Coming over to the servant King can be a relief. To finally have peace with the one who is so unusually sacrificial and positive. He too is bold, decisive, at times a bit wild and exciting… but he is different. He is not about tearing down and chaos. This Lord is about building up. He only tears down to make way for creating what is good. When one makes that shift, to reject selfish rebellion and to become a servant of the servant king, there can be a feeling of inadequacy that follows. "I don't know how to be other than destructive!"

The retraining of the human soul that was rebellious is a demanding thing. Our allegiance shift is ceremoniously wonderful and relatively immediate. Our learning to think and move and be in accordance with the Kingdom we now serve, well, that takes time, effort and help.

Titus 3:3-8 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (4) But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, (5) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (8) The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.