| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Hearing from God” Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Just live your life.” This morning, I want us to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the fact that we do not need God to be constantly directing us. I also want us to revisit the important truth contained in Proverbs 3:5-6, because it is such a rich passage and it is so important. When it comes to God providing sufficient guidance so we know what we can and cannot do in any given situation, I’m going to use an illustration I’ve used many times before but which I keep referring to because it is so helpful to our understanding of how God directs and guides us. It comes from Dallas Willard in his important book “Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.” Dallas tells the story of how, when his children were young, he would often send them to play in the backyard. The yard was fenced and the children had many options to choose from in terms of play and recreation. They could play in the sandbox, swing on the swing set, sit in the shade and read, kick a ball, play with the dog, or a wide variety of other options. As their father, all Dallas required was that they stay within the boundaries of that fenced-in backyard and that they didn’t misbehave. Beyond that, they were free to choose for themselves what activities they wanted to engage in. Dallas felt no need to direct them to any one activity in-particular. He wanted them to choose for themselves, but according to the rules and within the boundaries he had established for them. God works in a similar fashion with us. In the Bible, He has given us the boundaries within which we are to live life. The boundaries are broad and there is a lot of freedom of choice available to us within those boundaries. As long as we remain within the Biblical boundaries and we don’t misbehave (sin), then we are free to choose for ourselves among the many choices God has made available to us. Is it safe to live like that? Well, yes, it is if you know the Bible and if your heart is right. You have already been living like that for most of your Christian life whether you realized it or not and God hasn’t let you walk off the edge of a cliff yet. Proverbs 3:5-6 is true. Know the rules; live by them; and trust God to give you just enough guidance to keep you in the center of His will. God doesn’t want to be a Marine Corps drill sergeant in your life. He doesn’t want to have to direct your every step. Instead, He wants you to be a mature Christian with good judgment who makes smart choices. We don’t necessarily need to be hearing from God all the time. He has already provided us with all the guidance we need in order to live according to His standards and within the appropriate boundaries. So, stay within those boundaries and then just go live your life. But now you may be wondering how this squares with what we’ve been thinking about all month regarding the five ways God typically speaks to us (Bible, prayer, circumstances, council, and the church.) Do we need God to speak to us or not? We will think about that tomorrow in the final devotional in this series. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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