Page 8 - lifeandgrace
P. 8
help. And I am convinced that they would be blessed even if I were totally out of the will of God as to
location! God’s word sets people free. How can that be? Because God is a God of mercy and grace. He
loves His people (in fact He loves His entire creation). If I teach the word of God, He will bless people. If
one of the Team teaches, people will be blessed. If an evangelist preaches the gospel, people will be
saved no matter if the evangelist is not in the nation where God may have desired that he go.
Nevertheless, for us it may be a dead work as we are out of the will of God. The fact that people are
blessed does not mean we are in God’s will. God loves to bless His people even if we are doing
something that He may have to discipline us for.
If I have given myself over to God to do with as He pleases, I am going to be led by the Spirit of God.
As I begin to think and make decisions, He is going to participate. I must trust that the Lord is going to
guide me. If I make a wrong decision, He loves me and will correct the decision. (Acts 16:6-7 RSV)
"And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to
speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;" When our entire life is given over to Jesus, we will indeed be
the branch attached to Him, the Vine. He loves us enough to correct our direction. There have been times
when I was preparing to go somewhere and my peace departed and there was turmoil in my spirit. The
further I went in the plans, the more distressed I became. That is a sure sign something is wrong. It might
only be the timing but something is wrong! We stop; we seek His face; we open our heart to hear Him.
As our peace returns and we see fresh direction, we begin again. In a few cases, I have cancelled a
portion of a trip or an entire trip sensing in my heart that God was not in it.
So, in sum, we just begin to walk, that is, to plan our day, our trip, our whatever. In our heart, the
Lord Jesus is always with us. As we are walking in the knowledge that He is living out His life through
us, we begin to go about our day. As we plan and think, we think of something and pursue it. (It might be
as great as a trip to another nation or a simple reminder to not forget to purchase milk and bread at the
store.) If we are planning something in ministry, we think of something and we see how that fits. And
then something else comes to mind and we look at that. Inevitably we will, at the end, have deleted some
items or some places or some ideas that were on the table of our thinking. We may have changed our
timing for example. (I was recently working on a trip for some 14 months in the future when I suddenly
realized the entire timing was wrong. I re-set the trip for only six months out and the peace of the Lord
was in it.)
By faith we know Jesus loves us and is in us and working through us. Continue in the joy of Him!
Realize He is our everything and that He desires to make the trip of life with us as much as we desire the
trip with Him.
I close with these verses that seem so appropriate:
Col 2:2-10 (NNAS) "…resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that
is, Christ Himself, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. 4I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive
argument. 5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you
in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith
in Christ. 6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk in Him, 7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him
and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing
with gratitude. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy
and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the
elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9For in
Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10and in Him you have
location! God’s word sets people free. How can that be? Because God is a God of mercy and grace. He
loves His people (in fact He loves His entire creation). If I teach the word of God, He will bless people. If
one of the Team teaches, people will be blessed. If an evangelist preaches the gospel, people will be
saved no matter if the evangelist is not in the nation where God may have desired that he go.
Nevertheless, for us it may be a dead work as we are out of the will of God. The fact that people are
blessed does not mean we are in God’s will. God loves to bless His people even if we are doing
something that He may have to discipline us for.
If I have given myself over to God to do with as He pleases, I am going to be led by the Spirit of God.
As I begin to think and make decisions, He is going to participate. I must trust that the Lord is going to
guide me. If I make a wrong decision, He loves me and will correct the decision. (Acts 16:6-7 RSV)
"And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to
speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;" When our entire life is given over to Jesus, we will indeed be
the branch attached to Him, the Vine. He loves us enough to correct our direction. There have been times
when I was preparing to go somewhere and my peace departed and there was turmoil in my spirit. The
further I went in the plans, the more distressed I became. That is a sure sign something is wrong. It might
only be the timing but something is wrong! We stop; we seek His face; we open our heart to hear Him.
As our peace returns and we see fresh direction, we begin again. In a few cases, I have cancelled a
portion of a trip or an entire trip sensing in my heart that God was not in it.
So, in sum, we just begin to walk, that is, to plan our day, our trip, our whatever. In our heart, the
Lord Jesus is always with us. As we are walking in the knowledge that He is living out His life through
us, we begin to go about our day. As we plan and think, we think of something and pursue it. (It might be
as great as a trip to another nation or a simple reminder to not forget to purchase milk and bread at the
store.) If we are planning something in ministry, we think of something and we see how that fits. And
then something else comes to mind and we look at that. Inevitably we will, at the end, have deleted some
items or some places or some ideas that were on the table of our thinking. We may have changed our
timing for example. (I was recently working on a trip for some 14 months in the future when I suddenly
realized the entire timing was wrong. I re-set the trip for only six months out and the peace of the Lord
was in it.)
By faith we know Jesus loves us and is in us and working through us. Continue in the joy of Him!
Realize He is our everything and that He desires to make the trip of life with us as much as we desire the
trip with Him.
I close with these verses that seem so appropriate:
Col 2:2-10 (NNAS) "…resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that
is, Christ Himself, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. 4I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive
argument. 5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you
in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith
in Christ. 6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk in Him, 7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him
and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing
with gratitude. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy
and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the
elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9For in
Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10and in Him you have
