Day 108: Our Will vs. God's Will

Acts 16:1-15; Judges 2-3; Job 34

Did you know, that sometimes the plans we have for ourselves are not the same plans that God has for us?  Shocking, I know.  I think we understand that God's will reigns and that he has beautiful plans for us, and they may not line up with ours.  We believe that in our minds, but when the rubber meets the road, I think we fight that a little, especially when the plans don't make sense.  Perhaps you planned on marrying well and being a stay-at-home parent, but now God is calling you to work; or maybe you are working your tail off, but God is calling you to be a stay-at-home parent.  Maybe you planned on being an engineer, lawyer, chemist, but God keeps calling you to social work or ministry.  Maybe you planned on living there, but for some reason you just can't make it happen and are living here.  Paul and his friends were trying to spread the love and message of Jesus--it isn't like they were going against God's will.  Sometimes we feel like we are doing the right thing--serving the church, giving money, helping that person--but like the apostles, for some reason it just didn't work.  God had different plans.  Did the apostles fight it?  Maybe a little.  But at the same time, they trusted in the Holy Spirit to lead them and the Father's great plan.

Here it is, the answer I was looking for:  God told the people to destroy the nations that lived in the promised land, not make treaties with them or let them just hang out.  Maybe the Israelites were trying to be compassionate, a noble quality, but they were disobeying the God Almighty.  They reason they were to destroy those nations was because they would "be there to trap" them into worshipping idols.  The Israelites compromised with the world, they didn't follow through on the calling for their life, and so they would suffer the consequences.  As believers, it isn't that we are supposed to destroy everyone who doesn't believe the same, but we are called to live our lives differently, completely contrary to the world's expectations and standards.  Compromise is disobedience to God.  Now I don't mean compromise always, it is good to work to agreements at work, with friends, etc., but I'm talking the kind of compromise that waters down the gospel, God's message, our faith, our beliefs.  The Israelites compromised their relationship with God and his plan for them and so they lost his blessing.  It was a tragic day.

Why did the next generation not know anything about The Lord?  Where was the parental guidance, teaching, admonishment? I'm not a parent yet, but I know that I want to raise my children in the ways of The Lord.  Will they be perfect little disciples?  I wish, but I know they have free will, and I know that God will work in their lives if I am faithful to plant those seeds and show what living a life for Christ looks like.