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JR. Forasteros - Jan 13, 2013
Follow the Leader
More From "First Things First"
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Last week, we saw in Genesis 1 that God has a Way, an order for the world. And if we want our lives to have meaning, if we want our families and friends and careers and hopes and dreams, even our mistakes and failures, to have a purpose, we must order our lives according to God’s will, God’s plan, God’s Way.
That’s right where many of us get tripped up. We want to know: what is God’s will?
How are we supposed to know God’s Way? We’ve all looked into the dark, unknown future, wondering which path we should take.
The good news is that God doesn’t want us to be confused. God wants us to see clearly how we are to live, how we are to walk in this world. We get tripped up because we misunderstand what God’s will is. We’re asking the wrong questions.
We want to know the path our lives are supposed to take. Where am I supposed to go to school? Who am I supposed to marry? What job should I take? Should I move there? Should I switch careers? When should I move?
And it’s not just the big stuff. We want to know the right path on the little stuff too. Our work, our relationships. All the rich details that make up our lives. We want to get that stuff right, for it all to matter, to have meaning.
But when we explore the Scriptures, we don’t find God answering those kinds of questions for us. We find that the light shines into our lives looks not like a path, but a person.
God’s Will for our lives is the person of Jesus, the light and word of God.
Talking about Jesus in today’s world can be confusing – everyone seems to have a different idea about who he is and what he did. On one end, you’ve got Christians, who say Jesus is God’s son. And on the other end, you’ve got people who say that Jesus was just a guy, a good teacher. Nice, probably a little hippy-ish, spiritual but got turned into a religion he never would’ve endorsed.
So when I say, “God’s will is for us to be like Jesus,” we’re all understandably confused and intimidated. How do I be like the son of God? Do I have to learn to fly? Throw lightning bolts? I’m already pretty good at judging and condemning, but maybe I need to damn people some more?
Or should I start wearing robes and walking everywhere? Take up carpentry? Start offering pithy religious statements to people around me?
