Walk by Faith part 3
Knowing that there's a plan--a grand scheme--is what allows us to walk by faith. Because it doesn't always seem like there IS a plan. Epecially when setbacks occur. But a pastor friend of mine always says, "A setback is really a set up for a comeback!" And sometimes a "setback" isn't a setback at all. Sometimes it is God's way of protecting us from something. Twice in the book of Proverbs (14:12 and 16:25) we see that there's a way that SEEMS right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Believe it or not, we don't always know what's best for us. But guess who does: Daddy does. He knows the plan. Every specific aspect of it. There have been many times in my life when I've wished I'd known the plan, the whole plan, and nothing but the plan. Many times when I've wished for a big neon sign telling me what to do. Specifically. Exactly. So I could stop stumbling around and just do what I needed to do. I don't know about you, but I rarely (if ever) get a big neon sign. Most of the time it's just putting one foot in front of the other. Keep going. Keep moving forward. And like I was saying yesterday, one of the most important things we need to do is learn to enjoy the journey. Isn't that what they say? It's not the destination, but the journey? And, really, we've already arrived at the destination. We're already IN the Promised Land of rest because the work is already finished. So instead of trying to figure it out, instead of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, or banging our heads against the wall... what we ought to do is just start enjoying the fruit of Jesus' labor. He did it all so we could get it all. And yet we still try to do it ourselves. Jesus said, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). UNTIL NOW. Because John the Baptist--the last priest of the Levitical order--was decreasing so that Jesus--the true High Priest after the order of Melchisedec--could increase. Jesus came to show us a more excellent way. No longer trying to keep the Law of Moses with the violence of human effort, but resting in--TRUSTING IN--Jesus. Jesus doesn't lead us in the sense that He walks in front of us and we try to follow in His foot steps. They are too big for anybody. Nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. He leads us from the inside. Remember the Holy Spirit, our guide? He doesn't make foot steps for us to follow in. He makes foot steps in our feet! "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). How could we do greater works than Jesus did by trying to act like Him? That doesn't even makes sense. But we can do all the works He did AND greater works when we understand that it is the power of God--the LOVE of God--WITHIN us that both wills and does His good pleasure. The neon sign may never come. But even if it doesn't... when you don't know what to do, do what you know. Love. Be YOU. Do what you do IN love. I'm a writer... so when I don't know what to do, I write. I write about Jesus. I write about love. That's how I walk by faith. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how it's going to happen. But I know who I am, and I know who my Daddy is, and that's enough!