Doing 2

A couple more things to keep in mind about the doing thing is that we already have our marching orders. Again, this is not rocket science. We do not need to wait to "hear" God tell us what we are to do. He has already given us his "commands" to follow. Do you know what he wants his followers to do?

Some want to make it a spooky thing. As if we need to somehow have some type of mystical experience and "hear" the voice of God tell us specifically what to do. I have some problems with this. (metaphor alert!) Do you go through your day asking your parents what you ought to do next? I suspect your parents love you enough that they do not want to direct your every step. They provide you with some broad parameters and encouragement, but then give you the freedom to decide for yourself. The metaphor I like is a loving father who does not care whether his child plays in the front yard or the backyard, just that he is playing. I think our loving Father is the same way. He is telling us to "go play."

Now to translate the metaphor to your life - What does it mean for you to "play."

In some ways, I think we become paralyzed into inaction because we think we do not know what God wants us to do. We are "confused" or "waiting for God to speak to us." This is a deception. Who is the king of deception?

I can remember there was a time when I would read about God's perference for the poor and I would say to myself and God: "I would help the poor, if I ever saw them." That was my excuse for a long time. I did not know where they were or how to help them. I was deceived. Mostly self-deceived. I lived an insulated life in west LR. I went to church with a bunch of rich people. I created a life where I did not have to be confronted with many of the needs of people not as fortunate.

This is where intention and practice comes in. If you just sit around waiting for God to strike you with a bolt of lightning before you do something, you will become the person on the wide road to destruction, the fruitless tree, the house build on sand, the person He doesn't know, the person with dead faith. More importantly, we will miss a certain type of life that Jesus is calling us to.

Do you know what kind of life this is?