CONSULT GOD. YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID.

There is something we see time after time in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.  When people were obedient to God they were blessed and had success.  When they disobeyed God, things didn't go well.  It seems to me there are four main reasons for disobedience.

1. We prefer our selfish or immoral desires.
2. We think we know better than God.  
3. We have good intentions but do the wrong thing because we don't consult God.  
4. We struggle between fear and faith. 

Today I'm thinking about #3, doing what we think is right and forgetting to check with God. (I'm pretty sure I'll be writing about #4 next week.)

Joshua was a great man of God.  He served faithfully as Moses' right hand man for forty years, and when Moses died who did God choose as his successor?  Joshua.  He was a warrior, a man of faith, and he had a sincere desire to lead the people God's way. This was the guy who led the people across the Jordan, and marched around Jericho until the walls fell down, just as God instructed.

Still, he was human and he made a mistake now and then.  One of those mistakes that God recorded in scripture had a huge impact on me and the way I think about serving God. The story is in Joshua 9.  

The Gibeonites were afraid of Israel and wanted to sign a peace treaty.  God told Joshua not to make peace with anyone who lived nearby. So the Gibeonites dressed up in dirty old clothes and carried moldy bread, and convinced Joshua they were from a far off country.  The key to this story is a very short statement in verse 14.  "The men of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not inquire of the Lord."  In other words they considered the situation and made what seemed to be a perfectly rational decision.  The only problem is they forgot to ask God.

Good intentions aren't enough.  Joshua didn't deliberately disobey God.  He didn't even make a careless decision.  He considered things and did what seemed very logical.  But he forgot to ask God what to do.

I can't say that I've learned this lesson perfectly, but I used to be a lot worse.  I'm a planner by nature, so when faced with a decision I would naturally weigh all the evidence, maybe even list the pros and cons.  With the best of intentions, and certainly not out of rebellion to God, I would do what I thought best.  Then through a set of circumstances too long to relate a the moment, God taught me the importance of not relying on my own judgement, but of seeking Him and His will.  It's probably the most important lesson I've ever learned.

I've been thinking about this in the context of our upcoming counsel meeting and elections at The Mission.  There are many outstanding people on the list who have agreed to be available should the congregation call on them to serve.  I could check off just about any of them and feel like I made a good choice.  But in the end it's not my choice or the person I like best that matters.  God's choice is what matters.

That's why I've arranged a special time of prayer for December 6 (9:00 am), the day of our business meeting.  I am hoping many of the congregation will come before God and formally acknowledge that His will is supremely important.  We really need to pray that He will guide us to the right choices.  

This isn't spiritual rocket science.  It's just recognizing that God knows best and we will all be better off when He is in control.  So please join us on December 6 for a time of prayer and seeking God's will for The Mission.  I believe with all my heart that God will bless us for putting His will first.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, 

declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the Earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than 

your thoughts."   Isaiah 55:8-9