I often think that Christian book stores need to carry a "Christian" Magic 8 Ball (along with all the other "Jesus Junk" that take up the space of good books). Now this spiritual liquid filled ball of plastic would be means in which we can know God's perfect will. Just shake and wait and all your questions will be answered. I know my self...I would have one!
As it is those Christian stores have whole sections dedicated to the topic of figuring out God's will for our life. Because, we all know that it is the most important thing, apart from coming to Christ. However, the more I look to those wonderful paperback books...I get more and more frustrated. I do the steps (get it...I work to show God that I am ready for Him to reveal His plans for my life), but the Heavens don't part; I don't hear trumpets. Now I am not saying that those books are bad or wrong...I am just saying "why look to another confused fallen person for direction".
You see most of those books tell you a formula on knowing His will...do these 12 steps and God will lay out a yellow brick road and it will take you through a bed of roses, and you will never have a question or doubt ever again. I am hear to tell that God will never respond to my "steps" or that He is out to keep His will for my life hidden from me.
We like to ask Big questions of Him: (1) What college do you want me to attend, (2) What job should I take, (3) Who will I marry...are just a few of the many questions we ask God on a daily basis. Are they bad questions to ask. No, what is bad is our motive for asking. We ask (myself included) because we feel safer if we know upfront what God is going to do...however, it is not always in God's nature to tell us the destination. Because He is more interest in the journey, and He knows that if He tells you and I everything upfront we would pull a Jonah and look for Jaws.
Knowing that God is smart He only gives us would we can handle, and that is simple: today do what you already know to do and let tomorrow wait till tomorrow. Now I would like to say that I have this all figured out and that my paperback book on the subject will be available in November...but I can't.
I just came to grips with the fact that Jesus is more interested in how I get to my destination than in the destination itself, and that I have plenty of areas in life my life today that need dealing with that I have no time to even think about tomorrow. I have to stop trying to run past Him and actually start trusting Him with my life. To not only say that He is faithful, but to prove it by living a life that says "you're the Lord and I will follow you where ever you go"...even if where we are going doesn't make any sense. He has been telling me "I will see that you make it to the end...all I want from you is that you walk with me and in doing so learn more about me, and I will place you where I want you...I am your Shepherd".
You see most of those books tell you a formula on knowing His will...do these 12 steps and God will lay out a yellow brick road and it will take you through a bed of roses, and you will never have a question or doubt ever again. I am hear to tell that God will never respond to my "steps" or that He is out to keep His will for my life hidden from me.
We like to ask Big questions of Him: (1) What college do you want me to attend, (2) What job should I take, (3) Who will I marry...are just a few of the many questions we ask God on a daily basis. Are they bad questions to ask. No, what is bad is our motive for asking. We ask (myself included) because we feel safer if we know upfront what God is going to do...however, it is not always in God's nature to tell us the destination. Because He is more interest in the journey, and He knows that if He tells you and I everything upfront we would pull a Jonah and look for Jaws.
Knowing that God is smart He only gives us would we can handle, and that is simple: today do what you already know to do and let tomorrow wait till tomorrow. Now I would like to say that I have this all figured out and that my paperback book on the subject will be available in November...but I can't.
I just came to grips with the fact that Jesus is more interested in how I get to my destination than in the destination itself, and that I have plenty of areas in life my life today that need dealing with that I have no time to even think about tomorrow. I have to stop trying to run past Him and actually start trusting Him with my life. To not only say that He is faithful, but to prove it by living a life that says "you're the Lord and I will follow you where ever you go"...even if where we are going doesn't make any sense. He has been telling me "I will see that you make it to the end...all I want from you is that you walk with me and in doing so learn more about me, and I will place you where I want you...I am your Shepherd".
Good point. I recognize the fact that if God showed me the destination, I'd run with all my might to get there as quickly as possible and when I did, I'd completely miss the purpose of the path I traversed (or should have had I not taken short cuts). Completely agree that the purpose is the journey at the side of our Lord more than the destination.
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