How does someone you haven't talked to in at least a year or two have you pegged? How does he give you the particular piece of advice / friendly shove in the right direction that you need at that particular moment? It's a strange thing to say the least. Thanks, Paul. Now all I have to do is follow your advice; that'd be the more faith-requiring part.
Joe Dutcher preached an amazing sermon on the parable of the lost son from Matthew 15; pity my brothers weren't there to hear it. He invited them and I bent over the nails, but if you can't make a horse drink, you certainly can't make a hardened sinner come to the gospel, even when it's being preached by someone they seem to respect. God doesn't answer prayers the way I want, but He knows best.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Living by faith
It's Thanksgiving and I'm full of turkey, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Well, not really; we had a lot of people in and it was a blast. Strangely, I'm not quite the same full-of-one-liners and the life of things around the folks as I am in other situations. I guess it's just the "visitor" syndrome, since all of them see each other semi-reguarly and I'm 700 miles away.
Living by sight would be so easy. No second-guessing, wondering, hoping, worrying, criticizing, or regretting -- because the plan of God would be a known quantity. The place that every little action held in God's outworking of good in my life would be known; I wouldn't have to wonder if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm missing something, or if I'm just getting in His way. It wouldn't require any faith, prayer, or trust... because it'd all be so obvious.
The life of faith strikes our pride right at the point between a desire for control and an feeling that I'm missing out on something. A clear understanding of God's providence combined with His absolute goodness is the only cure, but it's a poison pill to the I-know-best mindset.
If you can't tell, I'm confused at the moment. Yes, I get confused. No, that's all you get to find out. No, it's not that. Thank God I'm not controlling the universe, as nice as that would seem to be. If I actually need it, He'll put it in my path. Being confused is a good place to be, because nothing makes me lean on Him more.
Living by sight would be so easy. No second-guessing, wondering, hoping, worrying, criticizing, or regretting -- because the plan of God would be a known quantity. The place that every little action held in God's outworking of good in my life would be known; I wouldn't have to wonder if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm missing something, or if I'm just getting in His way. It wouldn't require any faith, prayer, or trust... because it'd all be so obvious.
The life of faith strikes our pride right at the point between a desire for control and an feeling that I'm missing out on something. A clear understanding of God's providence combined with His absolute goodness is the only cure, but it's a poison pill to the I-know-best mindset.
If you can't tell, I'm confused at the moment. Yes, I get confused. No, that's all you get to find out. No, it's not that. Thank God I'm not controlling the universe, as nice as that would seem to be. If I actually need it, He'll put it in my path. Being confused is a good place to be, because nothing makes me lean on Him more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
