How Do You Know If God Is Leading You?
Good Morning Friends,
I never much cared for the movie “Jerry McGuire” or the character played by Tom Cruise in it. Regardless it does have a line in it that has entered the American lexicon. The line is “Show me the money.” It has been establish as a way to say: “I don’t want just promises, I want results. Unfortunately it reflects the character of our society, and a common attitude. We want proof up front. Sometimes we even make the same demands on God – “how do I know you are real – prove it!” or “how can I be sure I can trust you with my life and my problems – give me a sign!” or “Why didn’t you destroy Nineveh.” But this line of reasoning is flawed. There is a danger of looking to external “signs” to guide one into God’s will. So How Do You Know If God Is Leading You?
38Scripture: Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ 39But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!
Matthew 12:38-41 (NRSV)
6The Lord God appointed a bush,* and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ 9But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ 10Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’
Jonah 4:6-11 (NRSV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)
Message: A friend of mine gave a sermon on Jonah that tracked Jonah’s spiritual journey running from God, to God, with God and ahead of God. The story helps us to see the ways we can get sidetracked on the journey. Here the best directions come from someone that knows where you are, who you are and where you need to go. It is not so important that we see signs to strengthen our faith but that we are in some fashion a sign of faith made real in Jesus. It is about a relationship with God. So wherever you are on the journey remember that God has things under control. Trust Him and have faith in the one who loves you. You see the Holy Spirit makes Him/Herself very real in the space between what is and what needs to be. Here is the connection between good works and salvation. It is here in these spaces where Jesus has done His work and the good deeds and visible signs of our conversion bring forth fruit. We need to discern the signs of whether organizations and institutions will bear fruit… whether our actions and those of others will bear fruit. But not so much as one might think for God will use us all in some fashion. I have learned that I need to work and worship but, that I do not need to get it all together for God. When I try, I get in the way. I have learned that God’s action in Jesus puts things together quite nicely, thank you. I do not need to make this difficult, but I do need to have faith. Of course there are signs we have not settled up with God…that we are no longer walking with Him. Unrighteous anger, rage, malice and slander can wreck relationships. They are signs that start out as an aggravation but soon escalate if not addressed. That is why we should take action immediately to avoid them. So we do not need to so much seek signs as we need to seek Jesus. We may want a “sign” in order to know that God really loves us and approves of us. But in reality the sign Jesus points to – the sign of His death – is the proof of God’s love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” The Bible of course can help for it is a treasure map. But we have to choose to use it. We have to obey its guidance. Applying it to our lives can be clear as mud or crystal clear depending on how accurately we apply the scripture. As we discover and rediscover the impact and power of God’s Word for daily living. The key here is illumination. We have to see with the help of the Holy Spirit and staring straight into the high beams sometimes only blinds us the more. One more reminder for emphasis – I think, to be honest we all want a “sign” in order to know that God really loves us and approves of us. But in reality the sign Jesus points to – the sign of His death – is the proof of God’s love. So don’t demand a sign – and don’t demand that which you want to happen right now! God has given the sign already. Jesus already proved His love – now it’s time for you and me to show Him we got the message.
Pray we see God’s lighted path. Pray the truth of the journey become ours through our relationship with God. Pray we take joy in a healthy walk with God. Pray we help others to find the path and embark on the journey deepening our insight in the illuminated love of the Word made flesh shared one with another.
Pray we not ignore the warning signs of our emotions. Pray we do not run out of gas. Pray we take care of our body and spirit. Pray that we look to Jesus for directions. Pray that we stay on the path with Him growing in a relationship of love. Pray we trust and obey. Pray we rejoice in reading the Bible with the Holy Spirit at our side. Pray we have faith the Jesus is the direction we must follow for that is the will of God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 