The Danger of Overcorrection

A lot of driving accidents occur due to overcorrection.  When driving is monotonous and fatigue sets in, as a driver drifts off to sleep their car can also begin to drift from their lane.  Waking with a start, the driver impulsively jerks the wheel to swerve back into the lane or slams the brakes.  This rapid movement to avoid the danger of the ditch creates a new one when control is lost of the car which can fishtail, spin, hit other cars, or plunge into the ditch the driver attempted to avoid.  Gentle directional correction while controlling speed helps a driver stay safely in their own lane and reach the intended destination.

The danger of overcorrection can be seen beyond our roadways.  There are many people who make negative judgments about groups of people because of a bad experience they had.  In Christians circles this tendency is seen in legalism as fresh zeal for God lends itself to condemnation of others who have different convictions and beliefs.  Arbitrary categories for music, movies or modesty are formed as badge of genuine spirituality.  Because a person attended a church where the gifts of the Holy Spirit were used in a disorderly fashion, the suggestion particular gifts of the Holy Spirit are valid today may be dismissed with scornful disdain.  Instead of seeking the balance provided by the word of God, man can swing to extremes.  Being offended by a person who identifies as a Christian has made many people swear off the church, the existence of God and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I read a passage recently which likely provides a demonstration of overcorrection.  After the king of Judah Uzziah transgressed and was struck with leprosy when he entered the holy place and offered incense, 2 Chronicles 27:2 (KJV) says of Jotham his son who was made king:  "And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly."  Jotham was wise to learn from his father's mistake and not transgress by offering incense because this was the duty of a sanctified priest.  Jotham did what was right in the sight of the LORD, howbeit he did not enter the temple of the LORD.  The way this is written suggests to me he was keen to avoid the temple and even temple courts frequented by godly kings before him as they sought the LORD in prayer like King Solomon at the altar.  It is possible Jotham avoided the temple because it was the place his father was struck with leprosy, an overcorrection to avoid God's punishment instead of being an example of righteousness and humility in public worship of God--unlike his father.  Avoiding the temple did nothing to instill a fear of God in the wayward people.

Overcorrection leads to disaster on the roadways and is a real danger in the lives of Christians who lose the proper tension between the love and fear of God.  These are not contradictory but complimentary motivations that govern our attitudes, convictions, words and deeds.  The pendulum of a clock swings from one side to another, and it is wise for us to find a balance between extreme reactions to which we are prone.  Let us be extreme in our love and fear of God and obedience to walk in righteousness, but let us be careful not to swing towards condemning what and whom God has not.  Be firm in your convictions yet not hard as stone, for God has given us hearts of flesh to care and feel for others.

How God Helps

"Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. ¹² Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies."

Psalm 60:11-12

David knew from experience the help of man is vain, and it is not comparable to the help given by God who makes His people valiant.  These verses demonstrate how the help of God is different than help from people.  When my dad asked for my help to hold a light, retrieve a tool or lift an object, it was assistance he was looking for.  He already knew what needed to be done and possessed the materials and tools to perform the work.  Having help would make doing the job more convenient and less time consuming.  If he had a third hand, likely my assistance would have been unnecessary.

It is vital we understand God's "help" is not like a kid holding a torch so we can see the nut to turn on the engine with a spanner or lifting the other side of a table.  God did not assist David by augmenting his abilities but by doing the work Himself.  By faith and reliance upon God David was involved in the process, of course, but his valiance and ability to overcome troubles was all from God.  2 Chronicles 20:15 makes it clear the battle itself is God's:  "And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's."  The help God gives is not a little extra boost to get us over the line, for without Him we can do nothing.

After Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to fill believers, to teach, comfort and help them.  With the example of me "helping" my dad, he directed me to do something that would provide the assistance and result he wanted.  I believe many people think God should help them in like manner.  Having been told God can help them, they assume that means He will assist them by giving them what they want when they believe they need it.  That is the way man helps, not how God helps.  It would not even be appropriate to say we are like the son in the example helping his dad, for God does not need us at all.  He can do everything by just saying the word, for He created the heavens, earth and all living things by speaking them into existence.

Praise the LORD He helps us in ways beyond our capacity to fully understand and appreciate!  David was valiant because He knew God would tread down his enemies, not just to assist him with a boost of courage or skill when David felt overwhelmed.  God's strength is made perfect in our weakness, when we begin to realise we are incapable of doing God's work or will at all and start actually trusting Him to do what we cannot.  The lame man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5 lamented the lack of help of people to place him in the pool first.  He imagined a lack of people helping hindered his healing.  Jesus sought out this man and asked him, "Do you want to be made well?"  When he responded to the command of Jesus with obedience, he was immediately healed and strengthened to rise, carry his bed and walk.  Like David said, God helps like no man can.

Christ Born to You

"Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. "

Luke 2:10-11

It must have been quite a shock for the shepherds keeping their flocks by night to be accosted by angelic messengers heralding the Messiah's arrival.  Imagine how you would feel to hear "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour."  It would be easy to accept a baby had been born to Joseph and Mary but much more difficult to take personal responsibility for a baby that was not yours.

Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Because the Child Jesus was born to them, they were responsible to feed, clothe, wash and raise Him.  Parents are called to nourish, train, discipline and provide for the needs of the children God has provided by His grace.  Children are born to their parents, not for them.  This struck me afresh as I considered man's tendency to imagine the sending of God's only begotten Son Jesus is for us, not unto us.  While we do benefit from Jesus being sent as our Saviour, Him being sent to us means we have responsibility to take action by faith in Him.

The shepherds realised Jesus had been born to them and thus they responded in obedience to divine revelation.  Luke 2:15-17 says, "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child."  If the Child was born for their salvation and redemption, they could shrug and say, "Cool."  Because Jesus was born to them, they immediately went with haste to find the Baby they were told about.  Having found Him, they believed and boldly proclaimed widely what was told them concerning Jesus:  He is a Saviour, who is Christ the LORD.

Friends, do you realise Jesus has been born to you?  On this Christmas let us realise Jesus does not exist for us but we do for Him.  Since He has been born to us, we all have personal responsibility before God to believe, seek Him and widely proclaim Him like those shepherds did long ago.  We have good tidings of great joy to all people, for unto us is born a Saviour!  Let us adore Him and glorify Him always.

Sought and Found

Unless God revealed Himself to mankind, we would never find Him.  It would be more impossible for a man to know the almighty God who dwells in unapproachable glory than for a cat to learn calculus or a dog to understand and explain Kepler's laws of planetary motion.  God is so great and beyond our comprehension it requires the gracious intervention of our Maker to open eyes of faith to see Him at work in everything.  God has promised those who seek Him will find Him, and blessed are those who believe His word and receive Jesus whom the Father has sent.

During my nightly reading I was captivated by what happened after the people of Judah united to serve only the LORD with an oath in 2 Chronicles 15:15:  "And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around."  It was not out of the goodness of the hearts of the people, being fed up with life's troubles or even the negative consequences of their own sin that moved people to seek God:  it was an exhortation by the Holy Spirit through the prophet Azariah the son of Oded, a prophet likely you have never heard of because there are no books of the Bible titled by his name.  The Spirit of the almighty God came upon Azariah with a message for the king, and the hearts of the people turned to the LORD and found Him.

2 Chronicles 15:1-7 tells us what happened:  "Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ² And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; ⁴ but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. ⁷ But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!"  The prophet related how God chastened His people when they departed from Him, but if they sought Him they would find Him.  For a long time the people were without peace and were troubled on every side.  There was great turmoil that resulted in destruction and adversity.  Seeking God required labour to obey Him and put away sin, and the exhortation came with the promise of sure reward.

King Asa and the people heeded the word of the LORD spoken by Azariah, and it required courage to put away idols and remove the queen from her position for her idolatry.  People from all around flocked to king Asa because God was with him (2 Chron. 15:10).  There were times when God revealed Himself with fire from heaven on Sinai, consumed the sacrifice on Mt. Carmel and a glorious cloud filled the temple.  You might wonder, how did people know they had found God?  Verse 15 gives us the answer:  the LORD gave them rest all around.  They were at rest inside and out, at peace with God and one another.  The trouble and adversity that plagued them dissipated and disturbance was replaced with rejoicing.  All Judah rejoiced and was at rest because they sought the LORD and He was found by them.  There is no need to complicate this, to obsess over how they knew they found God because we doubt such a thing is possible.  When a man previously blind was asked how he was miraculously made whole by Jesus he said, "One thing I know:  though I was blind now I see."

Jesus bid all come to Him and find rest for our souls, and rejoicing in the Prince of Peace is a consistent theme for all those who believed in Jesus Christ even in the midst of trials.  Jesus is our Peace, and God Himself is our reward.  People troubled by God were given strength to seek and find God, and they rejoiced to seek Him because their efforts were bountifully rewarded.  Praise the LORD Jesus is the Good Shepherd sent to find us lost sheep, and when we respond to His voice by seeking Him we are rewarded with His presence where we experience perfect peace and rest.