The most famous puppet of all is Pinocchio, that small wooden boy who wanted to be real.
What was Pinocchio’s most fervent desire? To cut his strings forever. To run free. To have no rules to tie him down, no overseer to force him to dance, and certainly no steps to take that were not his own.
However, the Word of God tells us exactly the opposite. It is all about puppet strings. For example:
1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “be sober-minded and watchful.”
That’s a string if there ever was one, and it focuses us on where God wants us to place each footstep.
2 Timothy 4:2 instructs us to “preach the word.”
It doesn’t give us a choice, and in that command, it becomes yet another string.
These are godly puppet strings forcing us to walk his walk down the path he chooses. Yet, there is good reason to dance the Father's dance. Check out these:
Acts 22:16 says to “rise and be baptized and wash away your sins.”
Whoa doggie! That doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Not a bad string to jump to!
John 14:15 says to “keep my commandments.”
Duh. Why are we Christians in the first place? There are the first ten given by Moses plus Jesus’ eleventh. If we put others above ourselves, we will have done all of them.
Even so, the Word gives us the best reason of all, and it comes directly from the mouth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We will find our spiritual renewal in the following:
John 8:12 assures us that “whoever follows [Jesus} will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We will be able to see exactly where we are going, because his beacon will shine on our every footstep.
The world wants to be cut loose, to be allowed to do whatever their hearts desire. They want to “feel” the moment with abandon.
However, the natural man burns with wicked desires. It is in the blessed footsteps of Jesus that we will find our way through a dark and depraved world. When we offer our arms and legs to let him attach his strings, we will walk in the assurance that he will guide every step we take, and we will reach our destination without failing or faltering.
When Jesus is our puppeteer, we will perform a lifetime of service to him and receive the accolades of Almighty God himself.
Copyright © 2014 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally Published 7-27-14 in Discipleship