Irresistible Invitation by Maxie Dunham - Day 27

Irresistible Invitation:  Responding to the Extravagant Heart of God                   

Day 27:  Planted by the Water

 

…in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Prov. 3:6

 

There is no place in life’s journey’s where we need more light then at the fork in the road; in that place where we have to make a crucial decision about which direction we are going to take.  Thankfully we are given the promise of God’s word, according to Psalm 119. God’s word is “a lamp to our feet and a light for our paths.” (v105)

 

We do have the right to ask, seek, and know the will of God.  However once we know it, nothing but obedience will do.  But how do we know God’s will?  The first and primary condition is complete surrender and obedience, which prepares us to receive instruction and guidance about the will God has for us.  According to Dunham there are three seeds “which when planted in the soil of obedience and humility, produce the fruit of God’s will in or lives:  1.) Scripture study, 2.) Christian conferencing, or deliberately and honestly sharing with godly persons for both instruction and discernment; and 3.) divine conviction brought by the Holy Spirit.”

 

As Christians, we believe that the Bible contains everything we need for salvation, for growth and discipleship, and for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness.  Scripture has everything we need to be equipped for every good work. 

 

The second resource for knowing God’s will is Christian conferencing.  Remember that Jesus promised that wherever two or three are gathered in His name he will be there also.  Therefore, gathering with people who believe in Jesus Christ and in God’s will for their lives and for ours is a dependable way to seek the will of God. 

 

There is a special application of God’s will for each and every one of us and gathering with fellow Christians to discern God’s will is indeed an important way to seek our that will but there is another powerful possibility that we must not over look and that is the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  On many occasions the Holy Spirit plants firmly in our minds and hearts certain convictions about the will of God.  The Holy Spirit’s work may come in many different ways; it may be an intuition, an idea that seems to come out of nowhere, the word of a friend or a chance encounter.  These possibilities happen in the context of our sincerely wanting to be in God’s will and we are willing to submit to His guidance. 

 

Remember, though, once we have discerned God’s will we are responsible for what we know - and knowing and doing God’s will help us to be like trees planted by water, producing fruit in due season.  The good news is that God’s will for our lives is better than anything we can imagine.  Its as if God flings down a bunch of keys in front of us and encourages us to open every door.    Which one will you choose?

 

The Heart of the Matter

--In what ways has God offered you guidance?

--Do you relate more to the tree planted by the water or the bush in the wastelands?

--Is there anything God has revealed to you about your life that you have yet to take hold of?  What’s standing in your way?