"Just Do It"

Adventure report: We had a nice downpour last night that thankfully settled the abundance of dust being kicked up at the intersection of Delmas 10 and Mackendal. Since the day had been so hot I went swimming with some of the “boys” during the deluge. We laughed, made big waves and raced the length of the very small pool. I even got to teach a swimming lesson. Funny how those casual relational times make the instructional times more relational.

I went through all of James chapter four with the guys yesterday. They have conferred on me the honorary title “Pastor Jacques” (which they pronounce with a laughing, growling, nasal tone: “Zhak”). We really do have fun learning together.

One of our discussions was about the will of God. So many of us were taught that it is our task to find God’s will, but then we bump up against the biblical use of that term. It is really only used two ways in Scripture: God’s decreed will and God’s moral will. James refers to both. The Eternal One has rarely let His people in on His decreed will. About the decreed will of God we do not pray, but submit:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

God’s moral will is not hidden. It is plainly laid out for us. About that we do not pray. No sense asking if it is God’s will for you to steal or murder someone. You know what He wants, so you act:

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17

So the point is that we waste a lot of energy worrying about God’s will when we ought to be doing God’s will. Pray for Him to make you like His Son, but don't expect mystical signs to help you make decisions. Don’t look for God’s will. Just do it.