Priori Incantatem

God's will - the great mystery of life, the elusive answer to all of life's struggles. Yeah, no. I don't think so. I used to think this was the key. If I could only discern His will for me then life would be a breeze. Not so much any more. I don't think it's that great of a mystery at all.

Adrian Rogers said:

1. The will of God is for your welfare. It is not something you have to do; it is something you get to do.
2. The will of God will never take you where the power of God and the grace of God cannot enable and keep you.
3. God will not force His will on you. You are free to choose. But you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice.

I tried the whole "convincing everyone I knew God's will for me when really it was just me making my own decisions and disregarding Him completely" thing. Didn't quite work out so well. I think it ticked Him off. He jerked me back from my rebellion and showed me the truth - His truth. I feel like He was saying, "I'm tired of you putting this off on me. I want you to be better and you are nowhere close. Are you going to keep following your road or are you going to choose Mine?" I saw the consequences of my decisions. All the hurt and frustration and disappointment I had caused. My own little priori incantatem - the things I had taken from others because of my own stupid selfishness. Needless to say, I chose to follow His path. And now, I think I'm better, if only better than I was. But it's not about knowing how long the path is or where it ends. It's about following Him today, in this situation, and behaving like He wants me to. It's about seeking His will for what He has brought to me now. If Abraham knew God would spare Isaac, would he have bothered going to the mountain? Seriously, it is a choice. It's called following for a reason. Follow the map - His word - because it's all right there. He has told us how to live and what decisions to make. Make the choices that reflect Him. He made the rules and true joy, true peace, and true contentment are found in following them. He knows what will keep us close to Him and that, in essence, is His will.

Props to Heather

...for God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (1Corinthians 14:33)

God doesn't bring confusion. He isn't a cosmic chess player, He doesn't put us in an invisible labyrinth and leave us to find our way into His will if we're lucky. No. Jesus said it only takes the faith of a child to come to salvation. Why should we think it takes anything more to live the rest of our life following Him. Life is complicated because people are confusing. But He is a God of peace. That means the choices we face and the decisions we make are probably much simpler than we make them. The simplest part of this is that if we live by His word, we will be living in His will.

When Paul wrote this passage, he was talking about strife in the church. God's family should be acting in unity and harmony. He wants peace among His children. Not disorder and self-seeking. I think we should all re-examine our hearts, take a closer look to see if we are part of the confusion-making or the peace-making. As His children we share a common bond that cannot be broken, even by eternity! Is it really so hard to love each other that way?

Another Friday night story

We had another gathering tonight at the Fowler's and I couldn't help but notice that there was a different mood in the room. Maybe it was just the weather or a bad week. But something felt different to me. Like last week, I took inventory of those present and felt that same deep appreciation for these people and how very glad I am that these are my likeminded "brethren." I love them all very much and when they discuss their hurts and fears and worries, I find myself hurting and worrying along with them. If someone tells me their day was not so good, I'm sad for them. I want to make it better. I pondered this connection for a while and came up with this explanation:

They aren't just people I go to church with. They are the ones I pray for. Some I have prayed with many times. They pray for me as well. They lift me when I am down and they look to me when they need lifting up. They advise me and listen to my advice. They study the Bible with me. They have the same desires for our church that I do. They want to walk with God just like I want to and they make me feel peaceful when I am around them. And they make me laugh, the real kind. This is the core. These are the ones I miss when they are not there. This is my family.

All of you, again, I love you and I am praying for you this week. As for the mood, I guess someone needs that prayer. And to think I almost didn't even go tonight.