As I interact with believers from different walks of life and from different countries, I constantly come across someone who seems to have it all together in terms of being in the Lord but still one quality seems lacking. They are strongly opinionated even when it looks obvious they can use some sincere advice from people in authority over them and experience changes in their lives. Somehow they seem to know it all and are confused why they are getting things wrong. The word that keeps ringing in my heart is “BROKENESS”.

Somewhere down the time-line, we seem to have left this issue out of the discipleship process. We have majored on knowledge of who we are in Christ and some do’s and don’ts in the Christian walk. Our efforts are commendable but the results are not quite what we expect to see. Where are we missing it? I see a lot of people with knowledge but not the life. I thought the knowledge was designed to give us the life. I see the form of godliness but not the life changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The way the things in the world, namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and pride of life have corrupted many who have long been in church is alarming to watch. We are producing after a kind that is definitely not what the founding fathers of the faith had in mind. We seem to major on the external more than the internal issues. This is the background of this quest; can we learn something from this situation? I believe we can.

The knowledge of how a horse is broken is a good place to start. A wild horse is no good for winning races. It has the strength but not the discipline. The potential is there but not the skill to win. Many come to the Lord in much the same way, wild, unbroken and unusable by God or man. Wild and rebellious is the description of the carnal man where God is concerned. Talking about horses, remember the one Jesus rode into Jerusalem when they threw palm leaves on the ground to receive Him. Imagine the animal thinking all of that attention was for him not his rider. Without his rider, the animal is like any other. In a sense those who are being used of God are like that, the master rides us to fulfil His plans and purposes. What is done to “break” a horse? The horse is made to realise that it won't be hurt, it is loved, then it undergoes a process of training with bits in its mouth and eventually the control of its movement is regulated by the bit in the mouth. God lets us know He loves us so we can submit to His corrections. Rebukes and chastening cause pain no matter how we try to be nice about it. Our mouth plays a major role in the process as well as our heart and the contents therein. God’s training includes receiving corrections, instructions and rebukes and getting on with the joy of the Lord as our strength.

Another word for Brokenness is contriteness and they both mean being crushed, broken or bruised. The scripture says that Jesus is the stone which the builders have rejected that has become the chief cornerstone. Any one who falls upon this stone will be broken but any who it falls upon will be ground into powder.. See Matt. 21:44 and Luke 20:18.

It seems like our problems and cares can break our hearts and God will be ready to heal our broken hearts but here we are seeing a brokenness that is the product of the choices we make as we yield to God casting our whole being on Him. (To be continued).

Jesus is Lord!

Rev. Kola Ewuosho