I have been contemplating my own post, after a couple of anonymous (to the public, not to me) people commented on it.
I do not believe we can always see where God is moving, and go there, as Henry Blackeby may lead us to think. (I am not putting words in Blackeby’s mouth, he may lead you to think that, he may not). Sometimes, as a good friend suggested to me this week, we need to go and do something, and hope God turns up! (Or something like that). In other words the whole ‘is it God, or is it us’ never ending paradox. Naturally I lean towards pragmatism, give it a go ya mug!
Sometimes we just have to try something, and if it does not work, well thats life. In fact I preached on this, and am touching on it again at Inglewood Church of Christ this week. “In taking those first few tentative steps, Abraham was moving to a whole new place in his relationship with God. In stepping out Abraham drew nearer to God. His relationship grew deeper. They moved, even though they didn’t know where it would lead, because of the strength of trust in our relationship”.
“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see”
and this,
” It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11 NLT)
What I was trying to say in my first post was that we need to be careful that when God has done something marvellous in our midst, that we don’t become satisfied or even complacent with that. God wants us to continue to grow in our faith, our love for Him, dare I say, the fruit that we bear in His Name and for His Kingdom’s sake.
Hey Mark,
Interesting topic. Interesting use of Abraham too, who, although not knowing where he was going, was going in response to God’s command – not just doing something and hoping God showed up! Personally I ask God if he at least has an opinion on what I’m wanting to do – sometimes I feel he does, sometimes not.
Personally I find the whole leadership thing much easier if it’s coming from a conviction that God is in this. Not that I want to use the old “God told me” line, but it means I can lead with a strength of conviction I may not otherwise carry. It doesn’t guarantee the result, nor do I always hear aright, but it’s where I’ve settled for now.
But, maybe I need to learn a bit more daring as well.
Hey Alex,
Thanks,
I think the command is pretty clear as to what we should do, its the specifics I get stuck on!. Sometimes God’s voice is not as clear as what we would like,
personally I could do with a burning bush every know and then, but that’s not God’s fault, He is hopefully building my faith