CHRIST LIVED AS IF GOD WAS IN CONTROL OF HIS DAILY ACTIVITIES, NOT JUST BIG DECISIONS
Marina and I were talking last night about how confusing and counter-intuitive it can be to understand & trust God’s ways. We were discussing the differences between two ways of understanding His role in our lives…specifically the extent to which we’re supposed to lean on Him for guidance. It can be pretty confusing at times, and the opinions of His followers are all over the map.
On one extreme, there are those from liturgical and/or didactic (aka “heady”) faith traditions who seem to focus on following the right beliefs & doctrines & practices, knowing that God will “work everything out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” These types tend to walk through their days with a “God is with me and has given me the Mind of Christ to make good decisions today” attitude, and tend to address Him for specific guidance occasionally for “big decisions.”
On the other, we have those from more expressive and experiential backgrounds who take “walking by faith, not by sight” quite literally…believing that God has specific plans laid out for every little part of our every day, and that our role is to remain so connected to Him that His Spirit is constantly whispering instructions into our ears.
As a centrist who tries to stay away from the extremes, I always seem to find myself taking the best of both and forging something in the middle. Although that’s somewhat true in this case, I must say that the longer I walk with Christ, the more I read and know His word, and the more time I spend praying and witnessing the answers to prayer, the more I am distancing myself from the trappings of my didactic heritage that tends to put God in a box. God is supernatural, and that essential quality that performed miracles and spoke through people in the scriptures did not end with the Apostles…it was just getting started.
In the amazing book “Experiencing God,” author Henry Blackaby shares these words:
“Some people have suggested that God gives us general directions and then turns us loose to work out the details of our lives. I disagree. God’s intention is to have a love relationship with each of us. We get ahead of ourselves when we try to discern a life plan up front…But God doesn’t necessarily lay everything out that way. He may place you in one job at one location for an extended time, but God’s assignments come on a daily basis. You should always be open to whatever He has for you – even if it’s not something you could have foreseen…We tend to seek things that keep us comfortable, but God is not restricted by our fears. He sees beyond our current limitations and is constantly leading us to grow into the person He knows we can become. Nowhere does the Bible teach that God gives us a life plan and then abandons us to work it out. Rather, the pattern and emphasis in Scripture is a daily walk with Him in which He gives new assignments and then works through us to accomplish them…Isn’t it typical of us to ask God for a detailed road map before we are willing to set out on the journey? We say, ‘Lord, if You would just tell me where I need to end up, then I’ll be able to set my course and go’…but that is not the way God led people in the Scriptures…He intends to accompany us on the journey. He wants us to continually heed His voice and go with Him one day at a time. As long as we walk daily with Christ, we will always know where to be…”
“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:13-17)
“I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:25-34)
Jesus said: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:12-18)
Let us live today by hearing & following the Spirit’s voice.
