Good intentions can run amuck when we look at life solely from man’s perspective rather than God’s.
I think that’s why Jesus rebuked Peter so strongly. Jesus had told the disciples he was going to be killed at the hands of the high priests and elders. Peter bristled at such injustice and proclaimed it would never happen. Not on his watch! No doubt Peter’s love for Jesus drove him. He wanted to help Jesus avoid any kind of suffering. But his protests were Satan’s guise to tempt Jesus to circumvent the hard work of completing God’s will and instead save himself. Had Peter succeeded (or Satan through him)…the unintended consequences would have been astronomical.
Peter unwittingly played right into Satan’s hands. Satan used natural “human concerns” to appeal to Peter’s sense of right and wrong… Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He shouldn’t be the victim of an unjust religious system. Peter’s indignation kept him from seeing the bigger picture: the wrong was necessary for the right.
When our perspective originates from “merely human concerns”—without God’s—unintended consequences result.
But we never have to worry about unintended consequences when we act from God’s vantage. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:9). We can’t let our zeal for justice, empathy for the hurting or even self-preservation cloud our perspective. The wisdom of the world never tells us we must lose our life to save it. The wisdom of God says we must. Our daily adherence to this carries intended consequences—the eternal kind.
So don’t be overwhelmed with merely human concerns. Trust God. Look for his perspective in your relationships and your work, in triumphs and in tragedies.
Father, forgive us for how many times we revert to leaning on our own understanding rather than relying on your wisdom. Thank you for being the answer to every problem we face.
Throughout the Day: Think of a time when you acted out of human concerns rather than the wisdom of God. Consider the consequences and renew your commitment to trust God.