Walk With Me Lord (Part II)
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
—Psalm 32:8
"There is no one, in all of history, who has known God any better than you can know him." Last week I introduced this quote and listed several people that I look to as examples of what it means to know God. This week it is your turn. Who do you think of as an example of someone who knew God. What is it about their lives that inspires you? Were they a great servant, or a great teacher? Did they die for the sake of Christ, like the disciples; or live a full life poured out as a sacrifice for those Christ loved, like Mother Teresa?
Once you have identified the qualities and actions that set them apart in your mind as Godly, ask yourself how they escaped an ordinary life? How did they achieve the extraordinary life of Faith that captured your attention?
As I have looked, over the years, at these giants in the faith, I have identified three things that they have done that sets them apart.
They let God's priorities set the agenda for their lives.
Maybe they heard a sermon, perhaps from Jesus himself; perhaps they witnessed an injustice and the Holy Spirit nudged their conscience. Whatever it was, they had a gut reaction, a spark that ignited in their heart; and most importantly, they didn't explain it away, they didn’t put it off, they didn't talk themselves out of it — they put action to passion and kindled that spark into full consuming flame.
They listened for God’s direction.
I have known many people who get an idea, or hear a general direction from God and then they set out to accomplish God’s call in the best way they know how. Those who succeed are not the ones who stop to ask for directions and then leave him in the dust, rather, they are the ones who follow God. They walk with an awareness of God’s presence, they become accustomed to the gentle voice of God, and at each fork in the road, they glance up, out of the corner of their eye to listen for what God might have to say.
They trusted God implicitly.
When they felt a nudge in their spirit, or heard from God in their conscience, they obeyed despite how illogical it may have seemed. They trusted that if God was guiding them in those ways, he would provide for their needs. They trusted (like Abraham with Isaac) that if God was calling them to do something absurd, that God would respond to absurd obedience with absurd generosity.
Homework this week: Decide what kind of life you would like to live this week—one that follows the expected pattern you’ve come to know, or one that stands out as an example to others as someone who knows God. Ask God to give you a glimpse of an extraordinary life. Lastly, listen for the nudges, and don’t ignore them or explain them away, put action to passion and watch what God will do.
—Psalm 32:8
"There is no one, in all of history, who has known God any better than you can know him." Last week I introduced this quote and listed several people that I look to as examples of what it means to know God. This week it is your turn. Who do you think of as an example of someone who knew God. What is it about their lives that inspires you? Were they a great servant, or a great teacher? Did they die for the sake of Christ, like the disciples; or live a full life poured out as a sacrifice for those Christ loved, like Mother Teresa?
Once you have identified the qualities and actions that set them apart in your mind as Godly, ask yourself how they escaped an ordinary life? How did they achieve the extraordinary life of Faith that captured your attention?
As I have looked, over the years, at these giants in the faith, I have identified three things that they have done that sets them apart.
They let God's priorities set the agenda for their lives.
Maybe they heard a sermon, perhaps from Jesus himself; perhaps they witnessed an injustice and the Holy Spirit nudged their conscience. Whatever it was, they had a gut reaction, a spark that ignited in their heart; and most importantly, they didn't explain it away, they didn’t put it off, they didn't talk themselves out of it — they put action to passion and kindled that spark into full consuming flame.
They listened for God’s direction.
I have known many people who get an idea, or hear a general direction from God and then they set out to accomplish God’s call in the best way they know how. Those who succeed are not the ones who stop to ask for directions and then leave him in the dust, rather, they are the ones who follow God. They walk with an awareness of God’s presence, they become accustomed to the gentle voice of God, and at each fork in the road, they glance up, out of the corner of their eye to listen for what God might have to say.
They trusted God implicitly.
When they felt a nudge in their spirit, or heard from God in their conscience, they obeyed despite how illogical it may have seemed. They trusted that if God was guiding them in those ways, he would provide for their needs. They trusted (like Abraham with Isaac) that if God was calling them to do something absurd, that God would respond to absurd obedience with absurd generosity.
Homework this week: Decide what kind of life you would like to live this week—one that follows the expected pattern you’ve come to know, or one that stands out as an example to others as someone who knows God. Ask God to give you a glimpse of an extraordinary life. Lastly, listen for the nudges, and don’t ignore them or explain them away, put action to passion and watch what God will do.