There would be many times that I would want to take Christopher, disconnect him from all of the life support devices, and leave the hospital believing he was healed. But I never received a direct understanding from God as I had with Woody. It is from this experience with Christopher and my previous experience with Woody, that I have come to believe that the difference between faith and foolishness is the word of God. I have heard of people withholding or removing family members from medicines and medical care because of "faith" only to experience disastrous results. Were they wrong to do so? Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ". I believe our faith is measured by how faithful we are to His word when we make our decisions. We are faithful when we seek direction from the Lord and obey His answer. We are unfaithful when we disobey what we know to be His word.
This implies that we must be careful not to measure our faith by the results of our decisions, but rather the decisions themselves. If we measure our faith by the results, then the Bible presents many challenges to what we would consider as good results. For example, would we consider Jesus and His disciples unfaithful because their decisions led them to be persecuted and put to death? Or Paul? It then comes down to a relationship. Those who seek to know the Lord and His voice are able to seek His direction. This seeking will embed us directly into His will.
One Sunday morning after I had encouraged the college class to seek the Lord in their decisions, a young lady approached me and asked, "Are you suggesting that we seek God's will in all of our decisions". When I answered "yes" she asked if that included what she eats or drinks or whether she should brush her teeth or get up out of bed in the morning. At first I thought her question was a bit silly. But then I realized she was making a good point. I had intended to encourage them to seek God's direction for the important decisions. But what constitutes an important decision?
I often hear people say, "God gave me a brain. All I have to do is use it and I will be all right. If He didn't want us to think, He wouldn't have given us a brain." I have to admit our brain seems completely adequate to handle most of the decisions we face. But then there are scriptures that say, "Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight." (1 Corinthians 3:18-19)
I have heard other people say to just do whatever is in your heart. "God is in your heart so just go and do, and know that this is God's will." My heart seems to want to do the right thing most of the time. But I couldn't help but think of how the Bible seemed to go out of its way to show how faithful men and women would seek after God and find such clear direction. And then there are the words of Jesus, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:19) Or the words of the Lord in Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
These and other scriptures show us the failings of our minds and hearts, but should we really seek God's will in all of our decisions? As I sought an answer to this question, God gave me a wonderful illustration. It was that of a parent and a child. When a child is small, a good parent will direct the child in everything the child does. This includes eating and drinking as well as brushing teeth and getting up in the morning. However, as the child grows older, the child soon learns what pleases the parent and no longer needs to ask. A wise child learns to do what pleases the parent. If the parent wants the child to deviate from the normal routine, the parent makes the change clear to the child.
I believe our relationship with God develops in a similar matter. As we grow in our faith, we learn what pleases our Father God. We don't need to ask Him direction for all of the small decisions. A wise child of God learns to do what pleases Him. This is why it is important to spend time in the Bible. Here is an entire book which illustrates what pleases and displeases our Father God. It contains clear moral instruction as well as chronicling the relationship between Godly men and women and their relationships with God. However it is important to remember that while we can learn from the men and women in the Bible, we are not to just mimic their relationships with God. God desires to establish a completely unique relationship with each of us.
It is equally important that we not substitute having a relationship with God by establishing relationships with Godly people or organizations. There are many examples of how even the best people will eventually fail us and could knowingly or innocently mislead us. It is for this reason that I am always wary of people or organizations who claim or act as the only mouthpiece of God. Remember, Jesus promised that we would receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. (Romans 8:9-11) When we receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will reside in us and intercede for us. (Romans 8:26-27) The need for a person or organization to intercede between God and us was forever removed when Jesus came to earth in the flesh. It was to be continued when he said he would send the Holy Spirit to us so that we would not be left as orphans. (John 14:16-21) This need for a human intercessor, or "priest", was symbolically removed when the temple veil that separated the place of God (Holy of Holies) and the place of priests (Holy Place) was rent in two following the death of Jesus. (Matthew 27:51) Peter would say, "you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus." (1 Peter 2:5) This tells us that we are not to be islands either. God created us as parts of the body to perform a unique function that will benefit the rest of the body. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Through my early life as a Christian, I found myself looking to the Bible for some pattern to follow to help me know that I was in God's will. Whether it would be a certain profession, a lifestyle, or a set of rules, I would look for something that would help me know that I was in His will. But there really isn't any there. I'm sure there are those who would argue, but if you really examine the men and women of God in Scripture you will find that their lives and callings and relationships with God are extremely diverse. Certainly there are principles and examples throughout Scripture. And certainly we can learn from these principles. But we must be cautious not to allow these principles and examples to serve as God, or even law. Otherwise we will fall away from grace and become slaves again to the law. Paul warned us against this in Galatians, "Do not allow yourselves to be entangled again by a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)
So if scriptural principles are not the entirety to a relationship with God, what purpose do they serve? I have come to believe that we are to use the principles in the Bible as guides for our lives. I like to think of them in the same way that buoys serve ship navigators - they define a safe path while marking hazardous areas. When we are unsure or fail to find a specific direction, these principles serve to instruct us in our walk. And while following these principles does not necessarily place us in a relationship with God, they certainly line us up with His character.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I discovered about relationship and principles is when I discovered that sometimes God asks us to venture out of the known, charted, safe waters into unknown areas. This is when obedience defies principles. I remember the moment when I first came to this understanding. It seemed completely absurd to even think about breaking a basic principle in scripture! But then I went and looked back in scripture to see if this was ever true and found it in many places. Here are just a few examples:
The common thread to all of these instances is obedience. Each man was acting directly to the voice of His master. Obedience to God's leading is the key to walking in God's will. And obedience assures us that He is present no matter the circumstances or outcome. Scripture teaches that it is obedience that will lead us to righteousness, and righteousness will lead us to holiness. (Romans 6:16,20-22) We are careless when we walk outside of God's principles and jeopardize not only ourselves but also those whom God has given us care. On the contrary, we are also stepping out from under God's protection when we refuse to follow His direction, even if that direction at times crosses over a sound principle.
The difference between my experiences with Woody and Christopher was God's direction. With Woody's illness, His voice was clear in giving us the understanding that he healed Woody. This emboldened us to leave the hospital and doctor despite common sense, medical advice, and logic. We violated logic and common sense, but did so with the knowledge that we were given an assurance from God. With Christopher, His Presence assured us that even though Christopher was not getting better physically, we would not have to walk through this experience alone. His will for us was to submit to the circumstances now surrounding us in this foreign and hostile environment. It is at this point, where we submit our understandings and desires into God's hands, that we will experience the greatest sense of God's Presence. It is at this point of submission that we truly exercise our faith. Christians often confuse environment, health, and prosperity with God's will. "I want a place far out in the country away from all of the sinful people," they say. Is this truly God's desire or is God greater than environment or logic? Cannot God reside in a ghetto apartment just as well as a country lot? Let us not forget that Jesus came from Nazareth of which was said, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46)
We found God's Presence dwelt with us in a little corner of a neonatal intensive care unit in a military hospital in San Antonio. And our understanding of His will was being broadened beyond the crib that sat empty in our home.
This implies that we must be careful not to measure our faith by the results of our decisions, but rather the decisions themselves. If we measure our faith by the results, then the Bible presents many challenges to what we would consider as good results. For example, would we consider Jesus and His disciples unfaithful because their decisions led them to be persecuted and put to death? Or Paul? It then comes down to a relationship. Those who seek to know the Lord and His voice are able to seek His direction. This seeking will embed us directly into His will.
One Sunday morning after I had encouraged the college class to seek the Lord in their decisions, a young lady approached me and asked, "Are you suggesting that we seek God's will in all of our decisions". When I answered "yes" she asked if that included what she eats or drinks or whether she should brush her teeth or get up out of bed in the morning. At first I thought her question was a bit silly. But then I realized she was making a good point. I had intended to encourage them to seek God's direction for the important decisions. But what constitutes an important decision?
I often hear people say, "God gave me a brain. All I have to do is use it and I will be all right. If He didn't want us to think, He wouldn't have given us a brain." I have to admit our brain seems completely adequate to handle most of the decisions we face. But then there are scriptures that say, "Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight." (1 Corinthians 3:18-19)
I have heard other people say to just do whatever is in your heart. "God is in your heart so just go and do, and know that this is God's will." My heart seems to want to do the right thing most of the time. But I couldn't help but think of how the Bible seemed to go out of its way to show how faithful men and women would seek after God and find such clear direction. And then there are the words of Jesus, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:19) Or the words of the Lord in Jeremiah, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
These and other scriptures show us the failings of our minds and hearts, but should we really seek God's will in all of our decisions? As I sought an answer to this question, God gave me a wonderful illustration. It was that of a parent and a child. When a child is small, a good parent will direct the child in everything the child does. This includes eating and drinking as well as brushing teeth and getting up in the morning. However, as the child grows older, the child soon learns what pleases the parent and no longer needs to ask. A wise child learns to do what pleases the parent. If the parent wants the child to deviate from the normal routine, the parent makes the change clear to the child.
I believe our relationship with God develops in a similar matter. As we grow in our faith, we learn what pleases our Father God. We don't need to ask Him direction for all of the small decisions. A wise child of God learns to do what pleases Him. This is why it is important to spend time in the Bible. Here is an entire book which illustrates what pleases and displeases our Father God. It contains clear moral instruction as well as chronicling the relationship between Godly men and women and their relationships with God. However it is important to remember that while we can learn from the men and women in the Bible, we are not to just mimic their relationships with God. God desires to establish a completely unique relationship with each of us.
It is equally important that we not substitute having a relationship with God by establishing relationships with Godly people or organizations. There are many examples of how even the best people will eventually fail us and could knowingly or innocently mislead us. It is for this reason that I am always wary of people or organizations who claim or act as the only mouthpiece of God. Remember, Jesus promised that we would receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. (Romans 8:9-11) When we receive the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will reside in us and intercede for us. (Romans 8:26-27) The need for a person or organization to intercede between God and us was forever removed when Jesus came to earth in the flesh. It was to be continued when he said he would send the Holy Spirit to us so that we would not be left as orphans. (John 14:16-21) This need for a human intercessor, or "priest", was symbolically removed when the temple veil that separated the place of God (Holy of Holies) and the place of priests (Holy Place) was rent in two following the death of Jesus. (Matthew 27:51) Peter would say, "you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus." (1 Peter 2:5) This tells us that we are not to be islands either. God created us as parts of the body to perform a unique function that will benefit the rest of the body. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Through my early life as a Christian, I found myself looking to the Bible for some pattern to follow to help me know that I was in God's will. Whether it would be a certain profession, a lifestyle, or a set of rules, I would look for something that would help me know that I was in His will. But there really isn't any there. I'm sure there are those who would argue, but if you really examine the men and women of God in Scripture you will find that their lives and callings and relationships with God are extremely diverse. Certainly there are principles and examples throughout Scripture. And certainly we can learn from these principles. But we must be cautious not to allow these principles and examples to serve as God, or even law. Otherwise we will fall away from grace and become slaves again to the law. Paul warned us against this in Galatians, "Do not allow yourselves to be entangled again by a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)
So if scriptural principles are not the entirety to a relationship with God, what purpose do they serve? I have come to believe that we are to use the principles in the Bible as guides for our lives. I like to think of them in the same way that buoys serve ship navigators - they define a safe path while marking hazardous areas. When we are unsure or fail to find a specific direction, these principles serve to instruct us in our walk. And while following these principles does not necessarily place us in a relationship with God, they certainly line us up with His character.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I discovered about relationship and principles is when I discovered that sometimes God asks us to venture out of the known, charted, safe waters into unknown areas. This is when obedience defies principles. I remember the moment when I first came to this understanding. It seemed completely absurd to even think about breaking a basic principle in scripture! But then I went and looked back in scripture to see if this was ever true and found it in many places. Here are just a few examples:
- "Do not murder" and yet great men of God were instructed to including Abraham, David, Joshua, and Samuel just to name a few.
- "Do not commit adultery" and yet the prophet Hosea was instructed to take an adulterous woman as a wife. (Hosea 1:2)
- "Do not put the Lord Your God to the test" and yet Peter was instructed to get out of a boat and onto the water on a stormy sea. (Matthew 14:28-29)
The common thread to all of these instances is obedience. Each man was acting directly to the voice of His master. Obedience to God's leading is the key to walking in God's will. And obedience assures us that He is present no matter the circumstances or outcome. Scripture teaches that it is obedience that will lead us to righteousness, and righteousness will lead us to holiness. (Romans 6:16,20-22) We are careless when we walk outside of God's principles and jeopardize not only ourselves but also those whom God has given us care. On the contrary, we are also stepping out from under God's protection when we refuse to follow His direction, even if that direction at times crosses over a sound principle.
The difference between my experiences with Woody and Christopher was God's direction. With Woody's illness, His voice was clear in giving us the understanding that he healed Woody. This emboldened us to leave the hospital and doctor despite common sense, medical advice, and logic. We violated logic and common sense, but did so with the knowledge that we were given an assurance from God. With Christopher, His Presence assured us that even though Christopher was not getting better physically, we would not have to walk through this experience alone. His will for us was to submit to the circumstances now surrounding us in this foreign and hostile environment. It is at this point, where we submit our understandings and desires into God's hands, that we will experience the greatest sense of God's Presence. It is at this point of submission that we truly exercise our faith. Christians often confuse environment, health, and prosperity with God's will. "I want a place far out in the country away from all of the sinful people," they say. Is this truly God's desire or is God greater than environment or logic? Cannot God reside in a ghetto apartment just as well as a country lot? Let us not forget that Jesus came from Nazareth of which was said, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46)
We found God's Presence dwelt with us in a little corner of a neonatal intensive care unit in a military hospital in San Antonio. And our understanding of His will was being broadened beyond the crib that sat empty in our home.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
© Copyright 1987, 2016 by Rick Murata. All Rights Reserved.