"Do not be surprised when God leads you down a path that makes no earthly sense"

I am not looking to be guided by subjective experience for the record, I am trying to have a conversation. All too often conservative Christians have it in their head that God doesn’t talk to them in any way that can be discerned by us (that phraseology is from John MacArthur). Perhaps that is true, but let’s at least think about it rather than just say I read a book and that seems good to me. (not trying to be antagonistic here but this is a serious subject, at least it is to me)

What I am saying is I reject the view that we have the Word of God, so you’re on your own when it comes to decisions! Where should I go to college? Well, read Proverbs and ask Dad and a teacher, and choose what you want to do…That just seems odd to me. Incomplete. Whom should I marry? Pick any godly girl and start making babies! Really?

I guess why I reject some of this view is it depends entirely upon what I want to do. For people who say I have nothing to do with salvation to turn around and say the ball is in my court for the rest of my life just seems odd, doesn’t it?

I don’t know Mark. You could have chosen Golden Grahams, but you didn’t. Why? What made you choose either way? They say we are what we eat. What you eat affects how you feel. What you feel affects your thinking, and your thinking affects your decisions.

If you feel tired and sluggish after eating that left over pizza in your fridge, then you might decide to stay home, instead of going out with your friends to the mall, where you meet your future wife. So instead of eating pizza that evening, you get a craving for a nice chicken salad. And the rest is history…

is did God pick the Cheerios or did I?

You picked the Cheerios, Mark. Why? Only God knows.

the predestined people think God did…

Again, another plug for DeYoung’s book Just Do Something. It’s only $9 on amazon ($6.43 Kindle). Description:

Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God’s will don’t work. It’s time to try something new: Give up.

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. Too often, he writes, God’s people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven’t found God’s perfect will for their lives. Or—even worse—they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting…waiting…waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction.

But God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed his plan for our lives: to love him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like.

No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something.

So how do we get this valuable wisdom? Our text (Prov. 2) mentions three ways. The first way to get wisdom is store up God’s commands (1). The second way is to turn your ear to wisdom (2). And the third way is to call out for insight (3). To put these ways into familiar language, we could say we get wisdom by reading our Bibles (storing up God’s commands), listening to sound advice (turning our ears to wisdom), and praying to God (calling out for insight)…

Study the Scriptures, listen to others, and pray continually—that’s the best course of action, not just at the moment of crisis, but as a way of life. And as you engage in these practices, don’t forget to make a decision—always with wisdom, always with freedom, and sometimes even with speed.

I’m in chapter 3: “I’m not trying to squash all your hopes and dreams—really. I’m all for big risk-taking dreams (as you’ll read shortly). I’m not against people leaving their unhappy jobs to take a shot at what they really love. But as a counterweight to the “make your dreams come true” stuff of graduation speeches, we need the firm reminder that many of us expect too much out of life.”

He earlier recounted talking to “Grandpa DeYoung”, who in his 80’s was asked if he ever wondered if he did God’s will in his life. Nope…was the reply, other than not sinning. He even said he never had even thought about it!!!

Well, that settles it…don’t wonder if you are doing God’s will. Don’t live an introspective life. Whatever you do is good, just do it. Wow, that’s all I can say.

I’m sorry, I simply cannot relate to this.

Another later implication. Life used to suck…people didn’t have any choices. So, you should keep your choices to a minimum, and not expect or seek too much.

This time he is quoting another author, Schwartz:

“One quickly learns that “What are you going to do when you graduate?” is not a question many students are eager to hear, let alone answer. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that my students might be better off with a little less talent or with a little more of a sense that they owed it to their families to settle down back home, or even a dose of Depression-era necessity—take the secure job and get on with it! With fewer options and more constraints, many trade-offs would be eliminated, and there would be less self-doubt, less of an effort to justify decisions, more satisfaction, and less second-guessing of the decisions once made.”

Yep, just take any ole’ job, marry any old woman, and start making babies. Hallelujah! Life is great isn’t it?

Well, that settles it…don’t wonder if you are doing God’s will. Don’t live an introspective life. Whatever you do is good, just do it.

That is not at all accurately representing what is being said. One does need to evaluate one’s behavior and choices against the Word of God. But with that being said, what possible benefit would there be, say, to wonder if you made the right choice in marrying your spouse? I mean, she was a Christian and all, but maybe you jumped the gun too early… Or hey, maybe there was a sinful choice that opened the door to getting married in less than ideal circumstances- but you are married now. I fail to see what benefit there is to obsessing over regret. God’s Word is clear- His will is that you remain married to the one to whom you made vows.

Not everything may be quite that clear- but there are a lot of issues that stem off of choices that we make that may not make sense when they happen. If we believe God’s Word- Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good- not just the ideal choices that are in clear harmony with God’s perfect hidden plan that you are supposed to uncover. Joseph’s brothers were not following God’s will in a very real sense when they took the actions they did. Yet God’s plan was carried out- in spite of willful disobedience to the contrary.

Mark, God gives us talents. Some more than others. There comes a moment in our lives when we come to recognize what our talents are, and what our limitations are. Once we know this, we should try to explore those things that would most likely give us an outlet for those talents. For example, if you know that you have always enjoyed singing, and others have often praised your singing voice, then try joining the church choir. If you have always enjoyed reading books about theology, and find that you are good at sharing the gospel with your peers, then think about using that talent as a teacher in the church.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ESV)

The man said his grandpa NEVER wondered if he was doing God’s will. He just did whatever came to him…and you are calling me “willfully obtuse”?

He NEVER wondered. wow…Oh, Greg, the name of the book is DO SOMETHING. Doesn’t matter what as long as it is moral, just do it.

[Mark_Smith]

I’m in chapter 3: “I’m not trying to squash all your hopes and dreams—really. I’m all for big risk-taking dreams (as you’ll read shortly). I’m not against people leaving their unhappy jobs to take a shot at what they really love. But as a counterweight to the “make your dreams come true” stuff of graduation speeches, we need the firm reminder that many of us expect too much out of life.”

He earlier recounted talking to “Grandpa DeYoung”, who in his 80’s was asked if he ever wondered if he did God’s will in his life. Nope…was the reply, other than not sinning. He even said he never had even thought about it!!!

Well, that settles it…don’t wonder if you are doing God’s will. Don’t live an introspective life. Whatever you do is good, just do it. Wow, that’s all I can say.

I’m sorry, I simply cannot relate to this.

So here’s the real heart of the matter: Does God have a secret will of direction that He expects us to figure out before we do anything? And the answer is no. Yes, God has a specific plan for our lives. And yes, we can be assured that He works things for our good in Christ Jesus. And yes, looking back we will often be able to trace God’s hand in bringing us to where we are. But while we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time. (p. 24)

When he uses the story about Grandpa DeYoung not thinking of God’s will for his life, he’s talking about God’s will of direction as it is commonly presented. DeYoung says,

The more grandpa and I talked, the more I realized the will of God beyond trying to obey His moral will was an unfamiliar concept to him. “You just…do things” seemed to be my grandpa’s sentiment, and as you’re doing them and walking with the Lord, you don’t spend oodles of time trying to figure out if you like what you are doing. I guess if you keep busy and work your whole life, you don’t have time to worry about being fulfilled. (p. 31-32)

If he sinned, it would be obvious from Scripture, and you confess it. If it was unwise, you chalk it up to experience and grow from it. I am not necessarily the same kind of guy that doesn’t second guess myself, but I have no problem with someone who lived life with no regrets. In fact, it’s rather admirable, if you think about it.

I agree with that author you are quoting. The reason we have so many young people in America who are wondering what to do with their lives, is because we have been told from a young age that we should follow our dreams. That we can be anything we want to be. But that is a relatively new concept. And most of the time it just doesn’t pan out.

People’s personalities are formed at a very young age. Our interests are also formed by the time we leave elementary school. People tend to do the jobs that they can do, given their personality, appearance, communication skills, etc. That is why when we apply for a job, we don’t apply to any job. We apply to jobs where we think we will be a good fit. Same with dating. We approach the girls that we think are in our league. There is nothing wrong with that.

Gideon was from the smallest clan in Manasseh wasn’t he. He didn’t expect any thing so much that when God did speak to him he didn’t accept it. That’s an example of keeping expectations low!