“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the seas driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6

Going Rogue!

Our adult daughter is a good cook but she really shines when it comes to barbecuing. I’m not sure how she became so proficient in this because she is the type of person who does not like to take the time to read instructions. Since she is very intelligent and intuitive she can usually figure out a lot of things, but regarding her cooking abilities, I think her success comes from a combination of hands-on teaching as well as trial and error.

She recently had a glut of lemon cucumbers from her garden, so decided to pickle them so they wouldn’t go to waste. She is not familiar with pickling so she called and asked me some questions since she knew I had an excellent pickling recipe. She also went online to get a few directions for those particular cucumbers. Long story short, in all her confusion, she decided to just get it done. The last thing she said before we finished our conversation on the phone was, “I’m going rogue!”

When going rogue was first used it had a fairly specific meaning of “behaving in an erratic or dangerous fashion.” The expression today is more likely to be used to indicate that someone is displaying some degree of independence or failing to follow an expected script.

So she “went rogue” and did it her way by using a little of this recipe and a little of that recipe, then adding a little twist of her own. She loved the way they looked in the jars and was very pleased with them until the taste test. They were horrible; too salty, very mushy and just plain yucky! She had to throw them all away. Not only was the whole thing a big disappointment but also such a waste of time, energy and resources.

This made me think of how easy it can be at times to “go rogue” when it comes to our walk with the Lord. If we’re not walking in the Spirit, it becomes very easy to go rogue, ignoring godly wisdom and doing things our way and in our time. The Word is not a buffet from which to pick and choose, doing what seems right in our own eyes.

We can avoid a lot of disappointments and catastrophes, plus be better stewards of our time, energy and resources if we would just ask, wait, and obey. His way is good, right, fruitful and satisfying.

Lord, we desire to walk in the Spirit so we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Help us to resist the temptation to go rogue, that we may be fruitful for Your name’s sake. Amen!