January 2, 2004

Tek7 (Legacy)

CGA & ToJ President
Greetings, all, and welcome to the second day of our 2004 daily devotional forum.

The Scripture reference at the beginning of today's devotional is talking about Abraham's obedience to follow God even though he did not yet comprehend His plan. This is part of Paul's discourse on faith represented by "heroes" of the Old Testament. The idea of moving forward without questioning God's plan, something to which we humans are vulnerable, is a critical aspect of real, working faith. It is one thing to see a faint outline of a road and to walk it. It is another to feel along the edges while your eyes are shut. It is another thing entirely to have no sight and no touch yet walk a narrow path. It is not possible by human strength alone, nor is it meant to be. Another element of faith is admitting one's limits and trusting in the Lord to compensate for our deficiencies.

Blindness is often used as a metaphor for ignorance of God's will. Do not mistake ignorance of God's specific plan with ignorance of His intent and character. Read His Word, endeavor to grow closer to Him every day, every hour, and every minute, but do not do so with the ulterior motive of figuring out His step-by-step plan for your life well in advance of each phase. If you might do so, then that is His will and you will know it.

Also, do not mistake blind acceptance of human creeds with faith in God's plan. A person, even a person with good intentions, may betray your faith; God will not. Chambers is not advocating blind religion here but growing so near to God that when He says, "Go this way," you do not question Him as you would question a stranger, but rather trust that whatever step He will have you take it for both His and your benefit and you immediately take it.

Imagine that you are walking with your best friend down a strange road and he knows the way. You reach a fork in the road and your friend points one way and says, "Let's turn here." Do you ask why, or do you simply follow? I admit, it is not a fair analogy as I just finished writing that a person may betray your trust. Still, it serves to show that we will more easily trust someone we know and love than someone we do not know.

Let us not concern ourselves with figuring out each and every step of the plan of God. Instead let us rest in the fact that God knows what He's doing and, if we put away all concerns but growing closer to and pleasing Him, He will take care of us.
 
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