A couple of posts ago I mentioned the idea of "going about doing good," which is rooted in Peter's words found in Acts 10. Peter is describing the work of Jesus. I think that's how we should look at life and do life. (As an assignment, read the letter to Titus, noting how often the word "good" shows up.)
Yesterday I had an opportunity to do some good by connecting a guy who needs a job with a guy who was looking for someone to help him with a 2-3 day project. The boy needing work has been in trouble with the law because of drugs and alcohol. The guy needing some help, long ago, travelled down that same road. He's understands and was eager to give the boy a chance. Here's hoping it turns out good for everyone.
The young man that emailed me yesterday emailed me again. He was replying to my reply to him, but he had a question.
God has a plan for everyone, right? Is there anyway to figure out what that plan is?
How would you answer that question? I wrote him back this morning basically telling him that I don't believe that God necessarily has specific plans all the time for specific people. For example, I'm not sure God wants you to have a specific job and marry a specific person. If he did, then he would have to make those things clearer, it seems to me. Further, it seems to me that God simply wants us to be faithful to him, living out his will on earth, wherever we are, doing whatever we do. Right?
I like the illustration of a kid in a big backyard. "Son, I don't care what you do in the yard. You can slide, play in the dirt pile, swing on the swings, play with the dog, whatever you want, just don't leave the backyard." I think God would say, "It doesn't matter to me where you work, just do it in my will to my glory. JUST DO GOOD!"
Just a few thoughts for you this morning. Feel free to disagree.
2 comments:
I tend to agree with this understanding of God's will. That phrase I believe is misused a lot by the "general" Christian who sometimes doesn't know what else to say when confronted with trials or is asked by others what to do, as is the case with you in this post. You handled it well :) Ecclesiastes 12:13 is a good reminder for me sometimes.
However, not taking away from the idea of God's will at all, I think it's vitally important to know yourself also. Not in a hippie sort of way, but to truly know how you tick, what needs you have (emotional, physical, mental, etc), and what your passions are. God's blueprint for everyone is different, just like our fingerprints, DNA, and snowflakes. So to know yourself is also to know that God has forseen certain decisions in your life that will ultimately fit who you are and allow yourself to more fully glorify God. The most obvious example to me is the decision to marry or not to marry. Paul discussed this in 1 Corinthians, and so did Jesus in Matthew 19.
So I don't think it's a sin to do different from how a person is "wired", but it certainly won't make life easier to glorify God.
Excellent points, Jason! Thanks for sharing them. Knowing yourself is vital, and it seems to me it is a life-long evolutionary process. The longer we live, hopefully, the more we discover and, again hopefully, we adapt and change. The goal of it all should be the glorification of God by living out his story with/by who we are. That is the essence of missional thought and living.
Thanks again!
Post a Comment