Today's Devotional

September 20, 2004

Subject:  Asking God's Questions 

1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

Do you have stress in your life today about how a particular situation is going to turn out?  Are you really curious about why someone said something about you or why someone did something to you?  Is your boss too much to handle?  These are issues that we often face in our lives, but let me propose a theory based on Paul's verse above.  That theory is that the only answers we need are those that God wants  us to have.   But if we want God's answers, we've got to ask God's questions.

We had a meeting after church on yesterday.  Evidently there has been some type of conflict within the body.  Some have evidently decided that the contention is so sharp, that they must separate themselves from this local body of the church.  Others have left bewildered  and some others are contemplating the same action.  The meeting after church was designed to answer questions that the body had for the church leadership.  I don't know what took place at that meeting because I didn't attend.  While I had a commitment that precluded my attendance, I still don't think I needed to attend.  You see, I think that I have the answers that God wants me to have.  I asked Him many times before I joined and even a few times afterward if this was where I needed to be.  So when this difficulty came up, I already knew that I was where God wanted me to be.  During that time I also asked for God to show me the heart of the pastor and He did. I know that the man of God who shepherds us is a man after God's own heart.  For me, that's enough.  

Paul set an outstanding example for how we should put what God wants us to know before what we want to know for ourselves.  When he went to the Corinthian church, he said paraphrased, "all I want to know if you're teaching Jesus Christ crucified."  Paul was concerned if they were doing what they were called to do.  A clear case of seeking to know God's answers and that's what I call,  asking God's questions.  When we get God's questions answered, nothing else matters.  We know enough.  

In our church situation, many will get wrapped up in the details of what went on and why and ultimately rely upon other "people" to give them that information.  Even in your homes, at work and in your churches, you can get caught up in "your" business and miss out on "His" business by listening to useless chatter and asking questions which have misleading answers. Today I pray that we as a church body begin asking God's questions and letting God provide us with the answers.  Then we will know all that we need to know.     

Carlen