Devotionals

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If you can smile when things go wrong, you probably have someone in
mind to blame.

A lot has been written and spoken over the years about knowing and
doing God's will. Most of it seems nebulous and doesn't make a lot of
practical sense. I remember a college chapel speaker who went on at
great lengths to tell us how we could know the will of God -- only
problem was that we didn't know any more when he quit than when he
started, because it was all ethereal and not a bit practical.

Consider this: Out of the millions of Jews who lived in Old Testament
times, very few were ever chosen by God for special tasks or ministries
-- very few. I believe it's the same today. Out of the millions of
Christians in the world, relatively few receive a special call from God
for special service. Hopefully, your pastor is one of those. When that
call comes, it will be so clear and compelling that you'll have trouble
resisting it, although resisting it is still your choice, albeit a foolish one.

What about the rest of us -- doesn't God have a plan for us? Didn't God
create us with a free will and give us a brain to make our own
decisions? Of course He did. Are we merely puppets on God's string?
I don't think so. Do you really believe that God has predetermined that
you should be a plumber instead of a carpenter? Tomorrow we'll talk
more about making life's career choices.

So, what is God's will for me? It is that we should be obedient to Him
as outlined in His Word, should bring glory to him and not disgrace,
that we should be the very best at whatever we do in order to glorify
Him, and that we are fit and proper representatives of Jesus Christ in a
lost world, and it doesn't matter if you are a pipefitter or a seamstress --
just be the best at what you do and radiate the love of Christ. That's His
will for you. That's the best practical advice I can give you, and if
advice isn't practical, of what value is it?

In Matt. 22:37 (niv), Jesus said, "...Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
first and greatest commandment." Do you want to know God's will for
you? Read that verse again. If you do that, the rest of life's puzzle will
come together.

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