Questions Before Saying \u201cYes\u201d to a New Opportunity<\/b><\/p>\n
Elaine Brown, in an article published in Discipleship Journal, asks us to consider the following seven questions before saying \u201cyes\u201d to a new opportunity:<\/p>\n
1. Will my spouse and children be adversely affected if I say \u201cyes\u201d to this?<\/p>\n
2. Is this new opportunity likely to place undue stress on my mind, emotions, and\/or body?<\/p>\n
3. Am I fully aware of all that is involved in this commitment?<\/p>\n
4. Could this new opportunity undermine my effectiveness in already existing commitments?<\/p>\n
5. Will this opportunity enable me to use my God-given spiritual gifts and natural talents?<\/p>\n
6. Would it be better for someone else to do this?<\/p>\n
7. What are my motives for considering this opportunity?<\/p>\n
Ron Barnes, \u201cCultivating a Humble Heart,\u201d Kindred Spirit, Vol. 22, No. 3, Autumn, 1998, p. 7<\/p>\n
Reggie White<\/b><\/p>\n
The next year, Wolf and Holmgren went after Reggie White, a free agent who was one of the greatest defensive players in the history of pro football. Every team in the NFL would have liked to have signed White. An ordained minister, he said he would go where God wanted him to go.<\/p>\n
Holmgren called White and left a message on his answering machine. \u201cReggie, this is God,\u201d the message said. \u201cI want you to go to Green Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reggie White was not offended\u2014not by Holmgren\u2019s humor or by Wolf\u2019s offer: $17 million for four years.<\/p>\n
Favre joined in the pursuit too. \u201cI told him this was a great football town,\u201d Favre said. \u201cI told him he could make the difference. I also told him I didn\u2019t want him hitting me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parade Magazine, August 24, 1997, p. 5<\/p>\n
Wait<\/b><\/p>\n
Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried, Quietly, patiently, lovingly He replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate. And the Master so gently said, \u201cChild, you must wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait! You say wait!\u201d my indignant reply, Lord, I need answers – I need to know why. Is Your hand shortened, or have You not heard? By faith I have asked, and I\u2019m claiming Your word.\u201d<\/p>\n
My future and all to which I can relate, Hangs in the balance and You tell me \u2018wait\u2019? I\u2019m needing a \u2018yes\u2019\u2014a go ahead sign, Or at least a \u2018no\u2019 to which I can resign.<\/p>\n
And Lord, I\u2019ve been asking and this is my cry, I\u2019m weary of asking, I need a reply, Then quietly, softly I learned of my fate, As my Master replied, once again, \u201cYou must wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut. And I grumbled to God\u2014\u201dSo I\u2019m waiting, for what?\u201d He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine, And He tenderly said, \u201cI could give you a sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI could shake the heavens, darken the sun, Raise up the dead, cause the mountain to run. All you seek, I could give and pleased you would be. You would have what you want, but you wouldn\u2019t know Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d not know the depth of My love for each saint. You\u2019d not know the power that I give to the faint. You\u2019d not learn to see through clouds of despair. You\u2019d not learn to trust just by knowing I\u2019m there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d not know the joy of resting in Me. When darkness and silence was all you could see. You\u2019d never experience that fullness of love, As the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would know that I give and save for a start, But you\u2019d not know the depth of the beat of My heart, The glow of My comfort, late in the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight,<\/p>\n
\u201cThe depth that\u2019s beyond getting just what you ask, Of an infinite God that makes what you have last! And you never would know should your pain quickly flee, What it means that, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for thee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, your dreams for that loved one, One night would come true. But oh the loss if you lost what I\u2019m doing to you.<\/p>\n
So be silent, my child, and in time you will see, That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me. And though oft may My answers seem terribly late, That My most precious answer of all is still \u2018wait\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell Kelfer<\/p>\n
Making Right Decisions<\/b><\/p>\n
If we want God to guide us, our attitude needs to be right. Here are some guidelines as to how we can play our part in arriving at right decisions.<\/p>\n
First, we must be willing to think. It is false piety, super-supernaturalism of an unhealthy pernicious sort that demands inward impressions with no rational base, and declines to heed the constant biblical summons to consider. God made us thinking beings, and he guides our minds as we think things out in his presence.<\/p>\n
Second, we must be willing to think ahead and weigh the long-term consequences of alternative courses of action. Often we can only see what is wise and right, and what is foolish and wrong, as we dwell on the long-term issues.<\/p>\n
Third, we must be willing to take advice. It is a sign of conceit and immaturity to dispense with taking advice in major decisions. There are always people who know the Bible, human nature, and our own gifts and limitations better than we do, and even if we cannot finally accept their advice, nothing but good will come to us from carefully weighing what they say.<\/p>\n
Fourth, we must be willing to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves. We must suspect ourselves: ask ourselves why we feel a particular course of action will be right and make ourselves give reasons.<\/p>\n
Fifth, we must be willing to wait. \u201cWait on the Lord\u201d is a constant refrain in the Psalms and it is a necessary word, for the Lord often keeps us waiting. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God.<\/p>\n
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, page for October 13<\/p>\n
Wright Was Wrong<\/b><\/p>\n
A bishop of a century ago pronounced from his pulpit and in the periodical he edited that heavier-than-air flight was both impossible and contrary to the will of God. Oh, the irony that Bishop Wright had two sons, Orville and Wilbur! Wright was wrong. Sure of himself, but wrong.<\/p>\n
Winning the New Civil War, Robert P. Dugan, Jr., p. 38<\/p>\n
Jessica Hawn<\/b><\/p>\n
Jessica Hawn, former church secretary who committed immoral acts with Jim Bakker (former host of the PTL Club), and later brought down the PTL empire, said today (9\u201328-87) that God gave her \u201creal peace\u201d about granting an interview to Playboy magazine and posing for topless pictures. On 9\u201329-87 the news reports that she still considers herself a Christian, but goes to God \u201cone-on-one,\u201d not through any church or organization. Also: she doesn\u2019t consider herself a \u201cbimbo.\u201d But her mother does.<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Quotes<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 Once while Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, he was asked, \u201cWhat would you do if you suddenly learned that you where to die at sunset today?\u201d He replied, \u201cI would finish hoeing my garden.\u201d – Francis of Assisi<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams, voices, impressions, visions or revelations to be from God. They may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the Devil. – John Wesley Why Christians Sin, J. K. Johnston, Discovery House, 1992, p. 102.<\/p>\n
\u2022 To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement! – George W. Truett, quoted in \u201cToolkit,\u201d Cell Church, Winter, 1996, p. 10.<\/p>\n
\u2022 When God bolts the door, don\u2019t try to get in through the window.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The will of God never will lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.<\/p>\n
You\u2019d Better Inquire Again<\/b><\/p>\n
One day Dwight Morrow and his wife, the parents of Anne Lindbergh, were in Rugby, England. After wandering through the streets they realized that they had lost their way. At this moment an incident occurred that entered into Morrow\u2019s philosophy and became a guiding principle in his life. He stopped a little Rugby lad of about 12 years. \u201cCould you tell us the way to the station?\u201d he asked. \u201cWell,\u201d the boy answered, \u201cYou turn to the right there by the grocer\u2019s shop and then take the second street to the left. That will bring you to a place where four streets meet. And then, sir, you had better inquire again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis answer came to symbolize for Dwight Morrow his own method of approaching complicated problems,\u201d writes Harold Nicolson in his excellent biography. \u201cIt implied in the first place a realistic skepticism regarding the capacity of human intelligence…It was in the second place an object lesson in the inevitability of gradualness. And in the third place, it was a parable of how, when the ultimate end is uncertain, one should endeavor to advance, if only a little way, in the correct, rather than the incorrect direction.<\/p>\n
Bits and Pieces, Dec., 1991, p. 14<\/p>\n
Resources<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 How to Study the Bible for Yourself, Tim LaHaye, Harvest House, pp. 95-6.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Fight, J. White, IVP, pp. 153ff<\/p>\n
Give God Time<\/b><\/p>\n
Writing about God\u2019s sure guidance, British pastor Frank W. Boreham recounted a time when a minister visited his home in New Zealand. Being young and inexperienced, Boreham sought the counsel of his guest. He said that one morning they were sitting on the veranda, looking out over the golden plains to the purple sunlit mountains. He asked the minister, \u201cCan a man be sure that in the hour of perplexity he will be rightly led by God? Can he feel secure against making a false step?\u201d \u201cI am certain of it,\u201d exclaimed the minister, \u201cif he will but give God time! As long as you live, remember that. Give God time!\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Use the Old Ball<\/b><\/p>\n
As the golfer approached the first tee, a hazardous hole with a green surrounded by water, he debated if he should use his new golf ball. Deciding that the hole was too treacherous, he pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee. Just then he heard a voice from above say loudly: \u201cUSE THE NEW BALL!\u201d Frightened, he replaced the old ball with the new one and approached the tee. Now the voice from above shouted: \u201cTAKE A PRACTICE SWING!\u201d With this, the golfer stepped backward and took a swing. Feeling more confident, he approached the tee when the voice again rang out: \u201cUSE THE OLD BALL!\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
The Will of God, Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else<\/b><\/p>\n
I. SANCTIFICATION IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US<\/p>\n
A. AVOIDING SEXUAL IMMORALITY AND IMPURITY IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – I Thessalonians 4:1\u20138<\/p>\n
B. WISE LIVING IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – Ephesians 5:15\u201321<\/p>\n
C. NON-CONFORMATION, TRANSFORMATION, AND RENEWAL ARE GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – Romans 12:1\u20132<\/p>\n
D. CONTINUAL REJOICING, CEASELESS PRAYER, AND CONSTANT THANKSGIVING ARE GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – I Thessalonians 5:16\u201318<\/p>\n
II. SECURITY IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – John 6:38\u201340<\/p>\n
III. SERVICE IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – Ephesians 6:5\u20139; I Peter 5:2<\/p>\n
IV. SUFFERING IS GOD\u2019S WILL FOR US – I Peter 3:17; I Peter 4:19<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
John Wesley<\/b><\/p>\n
A lady once asked John Wesley if he knew that he would die at midnight the next day, how would he spend the intervening time. He replied, \u201cWhy, madam, just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Gloucester, and again at five tomorrow morning; after that I would ride to Tewkesbury, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Martin\u2019s house…talk and pray with the family as usual, retire myself to my room at 10 o\u2019clock, commend myself to my Heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in glory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today in the Word, March 1989, p. 40.<\/p>\n
Francis of Assisi<\/b><\/p>\n
Once while Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, he was asked, \u201cWhat would you do if you were suddenly told you would die at sunset today?\u201d He replied, \u201cI would finish hoeing my garden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moody Monthly, April, 1990, p. 76<\/p>\n
Tossing a Stick<\/b><\/p>\n
Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed.<\/p>\n
One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. \u201cWhy do you toss the stick more than once?\u201d someone asked. \u201cBecause,\u201d replied the woman, \u201cit keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right.\u201d She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go!<\/p>\n
Today in the Word, May, 1989<\/p>\n
All Things Necessary<\/b><\/p>\n
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man\u2019s salvation, faith and life is either expressly set down in Scripture or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture, unto which nothing at anytime is to be added whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of man.<\/p>\n
From the Westminster Confession of Faith<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Questions Before Saying \u201cYes\u201d to a New Opportunity Elaine Brown, in an article published in Discipleship Journal, asks us to consider the following seven questions before saying \u201cyes\u201d to a new opportunity: 1. Will my spouse and children be adversely affected if I say \u201cyes\u201d to this? 2. Is this new opportunity likely to place … Continue reading “Will of God”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}