Really, now. . . not quite so fast.
–T’s in Our Lives–
In our spiritual lives we come to many T’s where we make choices. Some choices cost us and draw us in directions others don’t understand, agree with, or approve. Scripture validates that the choice for God is always the best choice.
A choice for God is a choice for what God loves, which is a choice to the good God is doing. God loves the world. He loves obedience. He loves the heart that seeks Him. He loves repentance. The humble, worshipful person is pleasing to the Lord.
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.‘” Good so far, right? Then comes this. “But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.'”*
What a contrast. What the Lord says versus how the people respond. When we are at a crossroads in our lives, do we ask, “Where is the good way? Am I walking in the good way?” We will “find rest for our souls,” when we do walk in the good way. Again, God is always the best choice.
This sounds like a no brainer. But it is not easy should our focus stray from following God’s way.
The choice to follow God is one of consequence. No longer are we our own boss. Early in Jesus’ ministry He said to a couple fishermen, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” What was remarkable, they did come, they did follow, and they did become fishers of men.
Jonah made a choice, too. He was angry at the spiritual directive, so he chose to turn away from God, to continue hating the ungodly–the undeserving of God’s mercy (according to his way of thinking), without compassion for the godless people of Nineveh. But God had a plan, and God loved the people in Ninevah. God offered them a chance to repent and turn from their wicked ways. Jonah was the messenger, though an unwilling one.
“On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: ‘Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!'”(Jonah 3:4)
From the king down, the people of Nineveh repented and turned to God, while Jonah sulked and waited for their demise with an unrepentant heart. He was a grudging follower pressed into service. After the fact, He was still nursing a grudge toward God. I don’t know if Jonah came to his senses, but I do know God used Jonah in spite of himself. In the New Testament there is a look back on that event. “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”**
[I read through the book of Jonah last week. Just wow. I’d like societies around the world to repent like the people of Nineveh did. Here’s a sobering thought. Would you do what God said if he told you to go to a godless country and tell them to repent?]
We can be like the fishermen, or we can be like Jonah, or we can be like the Ninevites. We come to T’s in the road when faced with a big decision. These decisions decide the direction we will take for our next steps. Like the pilgrims of last week it can be a major undertaking–think missionary– missions project– major endeavor–an ordinary thing–like how to support your friend or family–or dealing with your self-issues. No matter what it is, the choice that employs a servant’s heart and acts in obedience to God is the one that is pleasing to our Lord.
How we get this thing right is by consistently doing five things.
- Pray. Pray through all aspects of it.
- Wait. Wait until God shows you the right way.
- Trust. Trust God to supply what you need.
- Go. Go with God. Hard or easy, keep focused on God.
- Praise. Praise God for who He is, what He is doing, and for the journey
God completes what He starts. The wait is a time of active praying, seeking, and learning. The wait is not twiddling your thumbs and doing nothing. Choose the good way and walk in it. “But my God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”***
Thank you, Father, for supplying all I need, according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
* * *
*(Jeremiah 6:16) **(Matthew 12:41) ***(Philippians 4:19)
Photo by Rosie Steggles, Unsplash
