Most of us have heard sermons concerning Jesus’ parable regarding the servant who well-managed his master’s money. The servant in the parable heard the delightful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Our Lord used this parable to emphasize that there would be a future reckoning for all people and God’s children will be rewarded for how they lived their lives. Please remember with me that salvation is offered to us entirely free. Christ paid for it all while He was here on earth. Salvation is free. Rewards are not; rewards are earned. This begs the question: How may I live my life in such a way that, when it is over, it has brought pleasure to God and was qualified for rich reward? I believe that question can be somewhat answered by a request given to that old Jewish prophet, Jeremiah. A group of people who knew that they had been living outside of the will of God came to Jeremiah and asked for him to pray on their behalf…
“…that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” – Jeremiah 42:3 {ESV}
The life which is satisfying here on earth and rewarded when the fullness of the Kingdom arrives is the life which desires to know God’s ways and what He desires for that life to accomplish. Please know that only the life which has discerned God’s ways and accomplished God’s will has the potential for reward. Truly, anything outside of this, turns to smoke.
God, show me the way I must go. God, show me the thing that I must do. When a Christian begins to ask these questions to God it is undeniable evidence of that person’s recognition that they belong to Another. They’ve learned the truth that Paul taught when he wrote, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ). It may sound suffocating to those of us who have been trained to live as our own little sovereign since we were born, but the clear truth is that we have been left here to accomplish the will of our Lord. I did not discover this core principle until I was twenty-four years old and, once I did, it initially shook me to the soul. I, alongside of the vast majority of people, had never sought to consecrate my life to my Creator. The thought of an exchanged life never entered my unregenerate mind. It was all about me and I thought that would eventuate into happiness at some point down the road. When Christ saved me and forgave me of my sin, He set me free and placed within my heart the desire to know Him and obey Him. The rebel on the run was graciously reborn to become the son staring into his Father’s face. But how would I learn of a God I could not see and please a God who does not instruct me audibly? Thus began my journey of faith that joyously continues to this day. I still cry out, “God, show me the way I must go. God, show me the thing that I must do.”
Many who read my words today will find them impractical, annoyingly subjective, a little too far stretched for them. They have jobs to drive to, children to raise, sicknesses to mend, bills to pay, relationships to pursue, and hobbies to enjoy. To slow down – or stop altogether – to learn to hear God’s voice at this juncture of their lives is simply not realistic to them, nor is it a priority. Yet, if they could just slow down a bit they would discover that this very thing that they impulsively brush off is the same thing that brings richness to life. It is the “something’s missing” that so many Christians live with each day. They do not know the way God has for them so they choose their own way. It may not be catastrophic, but it’s not the right way. They are uninformed about what God would have them to do so they do what they want to, or what they have to, or what they hope to…and another year turns to mist and their life-purpose remains hollow in self-containment. Perhaps we should be asking the same request that those people begged of the prophet Jeremiah in the verses above – God, show me the way I must go. God, show me the thing that I must do. Be encouraged – the people who made the request for Jeremiah to pray for them were not spiritual people. These were not your pinnacles of the faith but they, at the point of asking, understood that there was a need to have enlightenment from God about how they were to live. They recognized a distinction between God’s way and their own. They were stricken with the idea that they were doing life in a way that was not pleasing to God. They were not spiritual people, but they wanted to be. I hope you and I can realize the same need for our own lives many centuries later. It’s not too late for anyone who will turn to Him and ask for enlightenment. We can do this and our lives will begin to change, so start to do it. Daily. Regularly. Desperately. Confidently. Expectantly.
I’ll leave off for now. I’ve got an appointment to receive some enlightenment. God surely has some things to say…to both you and me.
In Acts 9, Paul’s first prayer?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
Paul’s second prayer?
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
Solomon’s wise advice in Proverbs 3?
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I’m thankful that I, and the Meadow family, have a leader who prays exactly this prayer for each of us just as Jeremiah was asked for the people in the passage. Thank you, Jeff. I pray for His will and direction for myself, the leaders of Meadow and especially at this time, the leaders of the U.S.
I pray:“God, show me the way I must go. God, show me the thing that I must do.”
I need to know today,your way to go today.
help me to find the right Employers to send my Resume that will fill their job needs.
and my need for a job.