Skip to main content

Being Led



            Many things in the word of God are easy to understand.  Other things leave us with unanswered questions.  Sometimes you just have to accept what you know and not get too caught up in the parts you cannot explain.

            Such is the case with Acts 16:6-10.  Paul and his companions wanted to go western Turkey, but they were “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching there” (verse 6). Then they decided to go north but “the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (verse 7).  Finally, Paul receives a vision to go to Greece, so that is what they do (verses 8-10).

            Now, here is what I want to know:  How did “the Spirit of Jesus” and “the Holy Spirit” prevent Paul from going to those places?  Did they understand at the time that this was the work of God, or did it just seem that “circumstances were against them”?  Did they attribute all of this to God only after the fact?  We do not have clear answers to those questions.  However, there are some things that we do know for sure. 

            First, Paul had a plan that did not work out.  Oddly, we seem to think that if we make plans and pray over them then God should bless everything that we want to do.  In this case, we find that Paul was not in charge and we are reminded that things go according to God’s plans and not ours – always!

            Second, we better get used to words like “uncertain” and “ambiguous”.  In other words, since we are not in control, things may not always seem to make sense at the time. 

            Third, when they got to where God wanted them to go, there was work for them to do. A woman named Lydia was waiting for them to tell her about Jesus (Acts 16:11-15), but she would have missed out if Paul had not allowed God to direct his path.

            I believe that God still has a plan for us and that he has work for us to do.  I believe that things happen so that I am shaped, changed and directed by God.  Do I understand all of that at the time?  No!  Can I explain it to you?  No!  Can I see it “after the fact”?  Often, yes! 

            When I have a mindset that says, “God is in control” then everything, even the bad stuff, can have purpose and meaning.  When I live with my eyes open to what God might be doing here, then I end up living for something bigger than myself.

            Who is directing your path?

            “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more