I’m not sure we really believe (pt 2) | God’s will is best
God’s will; sometimes its easy to figure out. Some things are laid out right before our eyes in creation and others written in scripture.
Maybe its too easy. Maybe having it there right in front of us all the time we take it for granted.
Take the disciples for example. At first you think that they were in constant awe and amazement at everything Jesus did all the time, every day.
The fact is, that even guys that were right there next to Jesus himself had trouble committing to His will.
One passage in John has Jesus and his crew out and about doing ministry all day and the disciples are pretty much over it.
Disciples: “Jesus, Dude…can we get some food or something? We’ve been running around God’s green earth all day!”
Jesus: “I have food that you don’t even know about.”
Disciples: “seriously? Jesus, If you have been sneaking snacks this whole time I’m gonna be so pissed.”
Jesus knew what he was doing. He knew what the REAL purpose was in everything he had the disciples do. His concern was the Kingdom and the work of the Father.
This is where we have a problem. There are two values that as humans we put up way too high on the list and as far as I can see it, there is no mandate from God for them; these are safety and success, and I mean these in the most human of ways. By safety I’m talking about basic health and well being. By Success, I’m talking about any and all success that is not that of the Kingdom and Gospel.
The fact is that God’s will for your life could look something like this:
Drop everything in your life and wander around the country with a bunch of dudes confused out of your mind following some rabbi. Have a bad day and deny anything to do with Christ. Feel guilty and come back full circle more on fire than before. Bring the Gospel to thousands of people. Get crucified with your wife.
Sign me up!
That’s Peter’s story. What’s yours?
[photo :: tricky]
Word. John Piper calls it "the illusion of safety," that we can effectively do anything to really make ourselves safe/secure.
I think about this when people ask me if it's safe to move my family overseas. My mind immediately goes to a friend who spent 8 years in a village in Africa, then came home to the US on a brief visit, got bit by a tick, and now has Lime's disease. She is in immense pain, sick all the time, and got this in Missouri—not Africa.
Another friend grew up in the jungle in Papua New Guinnea. When he was 11, his family visited the US. They were in a car crash (that wasn't their fault), his brother was killed, and he is paralyzed from the waist down. And he is now training future missionaries.
Sorry, don't mean to hijack the post! But I just had to sound out on this. We value the illusion of safety way too much… What's safer than entirely trusting the Almighty God with your life and soul?
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Great words Aaron!
Reality is, God might need you to experience pain to accomplish His will. he might even need you to die.
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