In a fallen world so full of unpredictable circumstances, it’s easy to get confused about what God is doing.  We feel like He wants us to head in one direction and then that door seems to be closed.  Sometimes I (Jeff) struggle to know how hard to try to make something happen and whether that would be operating under my own strength and plans instead of God’s.

In Acts 16, the apostle Paul encountered this too when he tried to go to spread the Word of God to Asia and to Bithynia, but both times God stopped him.  Later in the passage, Paul gets a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for help, and he and Silas conclude that this must be the Lord’s new leading.  But when they eventually do go to Macedonia, they are harassed for days and days by a demon-possessed girl and when they stop her, they are thrown in prison for it!  Do you think for at least a moment, Paul and Silas wondered, “what are you doing, God?  I thought you told us to come here.”  Of course God uses both the girl and the jailer as part of a greater story that grew a faith community in that city for generations!

Just like Paul, we are making sure to obey our fir
st calling (called to be His children) and trusting the Lord to complete the good works He calls us to and begins in us along the way.  Why not take a minute to ask God whether He wants something for you that isn’t what you had planned?

I (Jeff) have been starting to read a series of bible studies called the 10 Basic Steps.  It was written by Bill Bright (founder of Cru) to help people to grow from infancy to maturity in every area of our relationship with God (doesn’t sound so basic, right?).  As I read, it feels almost like being discipled directly by Dr. Bright, who walked with Jesus like few we’ve ever known.

In his step on “Obedience,” he talks about everything from Insincere Obedience and Peer Pressure to Purity, Taming the Tongue, Inner Security and Knowing God’s Will.  In that last one, Dr. Bright reminds us that if we really trust and obey Him, “God will reveal Himself to you and direct your steps as a way of life (John 16:13).” The enemy of our soul tries to keep us from being effective and fruitful, but Satan cannot stand against a heart yielded to Christ.

“Some people are reluctant to trust God completely with their lives, fearing that He may want to make a change in their plans,” but Dr. Bright asks: “Is it not logical that the One who created us knows better than we the purpose for which we were created? And since He loves us enough to die for us, is it not logical to believe that His way is best (Romans 8:32)?”

I (Jeff) have a difficulty with boundaries.  I have trouble knowing what to say “no” to so that I save room to say “yes” to what is most important.  In volleyball, it is always hard for me to guard my zone without trying to go for the ball when it is in someone else’s.  In the rest of life, it’s even more confusing as I see people in need and want to help, but sometimes helping can hurt more people in the long run.  On the other hand, I don’t want to be cold-hearted, selfish and overprotective of my personal capacity.  Does the Bible have any insight?  One of my favorite authors, Dr. Henry Cloud wrote a book called Boundaries that is giving me new language to think through that is solidly grounded in Scripture.

For example, in Galatians 6, it says to “carry each other’s burdens [too-heavy weight]” but also that “each one should carry his own load [cargo of responsibilities].”  Knowing which is which in a situation can help us decide whether there’s an emergency we would be wrong to ignore in another’s life or whether stepping in would negate the consequences necessary for them to grow.

In another place, the book points out that serving can lead to resentment when fueled by wrong motive: “we have been so trained by others on what we ‘should’ do that we think we are being loving when we do things out of compulsion.”

We can also limit how much others can hurt us by following God’s example. His actions say, “‘You can be that way if you choose, but you cannot come into my house….’ God limits his exposure to evil, unrepentant people, as should we” (Matt 18:15-17; 1 Cor 5:9-13).  Please pray as I continue to grow.