DAILY DEVOTIONAL – June 18, 2020
“Decisions, Decisions…“
Prayer: God of all wisdom and of all knowing, your Word tells us that before as yet one of our days came to pass, before we were even a thought in our parents’ mind, all of our days have been laid out before you. There is no one else to whom we can turn for guidance and direction. In your love and merciful provision, you have given us your Word. Bless our time in devotion this day and may it draw us ever closer to you, surrendering ourselves, and trusting in You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 32:8-10
8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
Devotional – “Decisions, Decisions…”
Deep down in the heart of every true believer in Jesus Christ, there is one common desire, one common denominator; one burning desire we all share. I am not talking about our individual passions for certain things, certain ministries, or missions. We are all uniquely gifted with unique passions and that is to be celebrated. I’m talking about the desire that is and should be shared by all believers; the longing to know and be in the will of God.
Unlike our salvation as believers, we do not always know for sure whether or not what we are doing is within the will of God. Am I supposed to be working as a sales manager? Lord, should I really be in seminary training to be a pastor? Father, how do I know whether or not to keep grandpa on life support? Jesus, I am so angry right now, but it feels so righteous and justified, how do I know whether or not to express my frustration or carry my cross again? These are some of the questions I have asked, along with many more I am still asking, and to be quite transparent with you, there are few of them for which I can say I am convinced I have God’s answer to.
What about you? What questions are you asking? How many of them are you certain you know God’s answer to?
The Bible is a miraculous book. It is the very word of God Himself. Perfect in every way and totally sufficient as our source for truth, and for salvation. 2 Timothy 3 says that, “All Scripture is good for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” The Bible is truth and life, and it is many other wonderful things. Though Scripture’s wisdom is certainly applicable and intended to be applied to our daily lives, one thing the Bible is not, is a “how to guide” for righteous living. The Bible is no doubt a guide and teacher of the faith and how that faith is to be lived out, but we dare not reduce the Bible down to a spiritual self help book. Certainly, there are a vast array of circumstances, dare I say a good majority of the circumstances and dilemmas we are confronted with in life, that the Bible does not have a recipe or prescription for in regards to how exactly we as Christians should respond and react or behave. To try and use the Scripture in such a way is to completely misunderstand them and misapply them to our lives.
We all have many decisions to make, and as Christians we desire our decisions to be made in accordance with God’s will and purpose. Jesus says in Matthew 12:50, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” With so many decisions to make then, how do we know for sure if we are in God’s will?
We need not look any further than what our Lord Jesus says in John 6:40, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Nothing matters more to God than your soul. More important than you knowing for sure whether or not He wants you to buy that car, take that new job, or have that procedure done, God wants you to know that because of Jesus and the faith He gave you, you are 100% in the will of God and you will spend eternity with Him in heaven. God will answer prayer or remain silent, He will make His will crystal clear or ask us to trust Him without clarity, He will correct our path or mercifully pick us up when we fall, all for the sake of drawing us closer to His Son Jesus and strengthening our love and trust in Him.
Living by faith does not mean you have got it all figured out and have some super-spiritual and unwavering confidence in knowing exactly what God would have you do. Living by faith means, as 2 Corinthians 5 says, that “we walk by faith and not by sight”. We do not walk according to our understanding or what necessarily makes sense.
Walking according to the will of God means surrendering to His will, His time, and His way, knowing that even if God were to share His eternal, perfect wisdom and will with us, our feeble little mortal human brains simply could not handle all of it. Walking according to the will of God means “trusting in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” as Proverbs 3:5 says.
Jesus is perfectly trustworthy and faithful, and He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We can trust that when we surrender, He will lead us faithfully in the will of God. As the book of Philippians (1:6 2:13) says, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
So go forth in the peace of God, knowing that through faith in Christ and by forsaking ourselves, our own understanding, and surrendering all to Him, we indeed walk in the will of God now and for eternity.
Thanks for joining me for another time of devotion in God’s Word, and remember, God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
