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Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God.  So your experience of God may become your experience of life.  It is wonderful what God can do!

April 17, 2005

DISCERNING GOD'S WILL

I WAS READING THE BIBLE THE OTHER DAY, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, IN THE GOSPELS. AND IT SEEMED THAT SOMETIMES JESUS WAS SAYING DIFFERENT THINGS TO PEOPLE, FOR INSTANCE, IN THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

IN THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN (LUKE 10:25-37), YOU RECALL HOW A LAWYER HAD A QUESTION FOR JESUS. JESUS ASKED HIM IF HE FOLLOWED THE 10 COMMANDMENTS. THE LAWYER SAID HE DID. THEN JESUS TELLS HIM THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN. YOU REMEMBER THAT STORY IN WHICH IT WAS NOT THE RABBI OR MINISTER THAT HELPED THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN ROBBED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD,
BUT THE SAMARITAN, WHO NO ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO HAVE BEEN HELPFUL.

THEN JESUS ASKS THE LAWYER, "WHO WAS THE NEIGHBOR TO THE MAN IN NEED?" THE LAWYER SAYS, "THE ONE WHO SHOWED HIM MERCY." JESUS SAID TO THE LAWYER, "GO AND DO LIKEWISE."

JESUS TOLD THE LAWYER TO CARE ABOUT HIS NEIGHBOR.

ON ANOTHER OCCASION, A WOMAN CAME TO JESUS AND INSISTED ON WASHING HIS FEET WITH HER HAIR (MATTHEW 26:8-13). THE SITUATION WAS RATHER UNUSUAL. SHE HAD SOME PERFUMED OINTMENT THAT SHE WAS GOING TO USE TOO.

YET, ONE OF JESUS DISCIPLES CRITICIZED JESUS. HE SAID THAT THE MONEY FOR THE OINTMENT WAS EXPENSIVE AND COULD HAVE BEEN PUT TO BETTER USE FOR THE POOR.

YET, IN RESPONSE, JESUS CRITICIZES THE DISCIPLE AND ALLOWS THE WOMAN TO CARE FOR HIM.

IT WOULD ALSO SEEM THAT IN THIS SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES JESUS WAS SAYING THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN CARING FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR AS THE DISCIPLE HAD SUGGESTED. YET JESUS SAID THE MORE IMPORTANT THING IN THAT SITUATION WAS CARING FOR ONESELF, WHICH JESUS WAS ALLOWING TO HAPPEN TO HIMSELF.

IN YET ANOTHER CIRCUMSTANCE, JESUS HEALED 10 LEPERS (LUKE 17:11-19). AFTERWARDS, TO TOLD THEM TO GO TO THE TEMPLE.  IN OTHER WORDS, GO TO THANK GOD FOR THE HEALING BLESSING YOU HAVE JUST RECEIVED. WORSHIP GOD BY THANKING GOD FOR YOUR BLESSINGS.

SO, THREE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, THREE DIFFERENT RESPONSES? WHAT IS GOING ON?

AND, HOW CAN WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IF WE HAVE DECIDED TO BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS?

SEVERAL THOUGHTS COME TO MIND.

FIRST, JESUS' GOAL WAS TO HELP EACH PERSON, INCLUDING HIMSELF, TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL.

YET IF THAT IS THE CASE, IT SEEMS THAT THE IDEA OF GOD'S WILL SEEMS TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

SO, SECOND, IS THERE A FRAMEWORK JESUS WAS USING, ON WHICH TO BASE HIS RECOMMENDATIONS? THE ANSWER IS YES. AND THAT FRAMEWORK WAS OUR SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY.

FOR JESUS SAID, "THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IS TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. AND THE SECOND IS LIKE UNTO IT, TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

IN OTHER WORDS, TO LOVE GOD, NEIGHBOR AND SELF.

SO, DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCE, WITH THE LAWYER, WITH THE WOMAN WHO WANTED TO WASH HIS HAIR, AND THE LEPERS, JESUS WAS TRYING TO HELP THEM DISCERN GOD'S WILL.  HIS PERSPECTIVE WAS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW AS TO WHICH WAS MORE IMPORTANT AT THAT MOMENT.

IN OTHER WORDS, WAS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO, TO LOVE GOD, TO LOVE NEIGHBOR, OR TO CARE FOR ONESELF.

WITH THE LAWYER, WHO IT IS NOTED WANTED TO JUSTIFY HIMSELF, JESUS DISCERNED GOD'S WILL WAS FOR HIM TO LEARN TO CARE FOR HIS NEIGHBOR AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN, TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.

WITH THE WOMAN WHO WANTED TO WASH JESUS FEET, JESUS REALIZED THAT GOD'S WILL WAS TO RECEIVE THE WOMAN'S GRACIOUS GIFT AND TO ALLOW FOR HIMSELF TO BE CARED ABOUT, WHAT I HAVE LEARNED TO CALL SELF-CARE, TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

AND WITH THE LEPERS, AFTER THEY HAD BEEN HEALED, GOD'S WILL FOR THEM WAS TO GO TO CHURCH AND TO THANK GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS THEY HAD JUST RECEIVED, TO LOVE GOD.

IN EACH CIRCUMSTANCE, JESUS WAS ABLE TO HELP THEM DISCERN WHAT WAS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO TO FULFILL GOD'S WILL FOR THEIR LIVES.

THREE, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS THINKING OF LOVING GOD, NEIGHBOR AND SELF AS AN OVERALL GUIDELINE FOR LIVING. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS IMPORTANT NOT ONLY TO DISCERN WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT, TO LOVE GOD, TO LOVE NEIGHBOR, TO CARE FOR ONESELF, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE ALL THREE. FOR JESUS COMMANDMENTS INCLUDES ALL THREE, TO LOVE GOD AND TO LOVE NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

SO EACH DAY, IT IS IMPORTANT PRAYERFULLY TO CONSIDER, ONE, HOW CAN YOU SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR GOD, WORSHIP GOD, TWO, HOW CAN YOU SHOW LOVE FOR NEIGHBOR, AND, THREE, HOW CAN YOU CARE FOR YOURSELF.

I HAVE A LITTLE DAILY GUIDE THAT I INVENTED AND USE TO GUIDE MY LIFE. AND, EVEN THOUGH I CAN'T READ MY OWN WRITING SOMETIMES IN TERMS OF WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN DOWN, DESPITE THAT, IT INCLUDES THE GENERAL CATEGORIES OF LOVING OR WORSHIPING GOD, CARING FOR NEIGHBOR. AND UNDER THE HEADING OF NEIGHBOR I INCLUDE FAMILY. I ALSO INCLUDE UNDER THE CATEGORY OF NEIGHBOR WHAT I REFER TO AS CALLING, ONE'S SPECIAL WAY OF SERVING OTHERS. THERE ARE ALSO THE SUB CATEGORIES THERE OF WORK, CHURCH, COMMUNITY AND WORLD.

THEN THERE IS ALSO THE GENERAL CATEGORY OF SELF-CARE. IN OTHER WORDS, ALONG WITH ANY HEALTH CONCERNS OR EXERCISE, WHAT WOULD BE SOMETHING FUN TO DO.

RECENTLY, I HAVE TAKEN UP THE GAME OF GOLF. I HAD BEEN PUTTING GOLF UNDER THE CATEGORY OF SELF-CARE, SOMETHING FUN TO DO. BUT, CONSIDERING, THE STATUS OF MY GOLF GAME AND MY LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION, I AM NOT SO SURE WHETHER IT IS SELF-CARE OR SELF-DESTRUCTION.

AT ANY RATE, SELF-CARE CAN INCLUDE SOMETHING FUN TO DO FOR YOURSELF OR WITH FRIENDS.

ALSO, I EVALUATE MYSELF EVERYDAY. IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID I DO IN TERMS OF LOVING GOD, CARING ABOUT MY NEIGHBOR BEGINNING WITH MY FAMILY, AND SELF-CARE.

OVER THE YEARS, I HAD BEEN DISCOVERING FOR ME, THAT I WAS ACTUALLY DOING TOO MUCH IN THE AREA OF CARING FOR NEIGHBOR, AND TOO LITTLE IN THE AREA OF SELF-CARE. AND, SOMETIMES, I WAS NOT TAKING ENOUGH TIME FOR WORSHIPING GOD EVERYDAY.

SO, I HAVE MADE CHANGES. AND, AS I HAVE TRIED TO DO ALL THREE EVERYDAY IN A MORE BALANCED WAY, THEN, LO AND BEHOLD, MY LIFE HAS BECOME HAPPIER.

BUT, DIDN'T JESUS PROMISE THAT. FOR JESUS SAID, "I HAVE COME THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE, LIFE ABUNDANT."

SO, AS JESUS HELPED THE LAWYER, HIMSELF, AND THE LEPERS, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE?

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP OR STEPS YOU NEED TO TAKE? IS IT IN THE AREA OF LOVING GOD, WORSHIPING GOD? IS IT IN THE AREA OF CARING FOR NEIGHBOR BEGINNING WITH FAMILY AND INCLUDING YOUR SPECIAL WAY OF HELPING OTHERS AS WELL AS WORK AND COMMUNITY? IS IT IN THE AREA OF SELF-CARE INCLUDING CONSIDERING FUN THINGS FOR YOU TO DO AS WELL AS FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHERS?

ALSO, ARE THERE CHANGES YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE IN YOUR LIFE SO THAT YOU CAN INCLUDE ALL THREE , LOVING GOD, SERVING NEIGHBOR, AND CARING FOR ONESELF? AND, ARE THERE CHANGES YOU NEED TO MAKE SO YOU CAN FIND A BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN THOSE AREAS?

AND WHY? BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DISCOVER GREATER HAPPINESS WITH YOUR LIFE.

SO, I INVITE YOU TO BE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS BY SEEKING TO FULFILL WHAT JESUS CALLED THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT, TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND, TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

LET US PRAY.

DEAR GOD,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELPING US TO DISCERN YOUR WILL FOR OUR LIVES AS WE LOVE AND WORSHIP YOU, CARE FOR OTHERS, AND LEARN TO CARE FOR OURSELVES.

IN THIS ENDEAVOR, WE ASK THAT CHRIST GUIDE US THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. FOR IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LIVING AND RISEN CHRIST WE PRAY, AMEN.

 

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