What to do when you don't know what to do
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
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Straight to the Cross
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COLUMN: REALITY CHECK
What to do when you don't know what to do
by Stan Mitchell
tinyurl.com/c5lgv4x
Some people expect the preacher to stand in the pulpit
and tell them what to do. There are times when this is
relatively easy. The Bible leaves little doubt when it
comes to such things as sexual immorality or pride.
Believe it or not, however, the preacher doesn't always
have the answers. There are times when one must choose,
not between good and evil, but between good and better.
And when it comes to personal relationships, the best
thing is not always a simple thing to determine.
Who was right? Who was wrong? Whose version of the
story can I believe?
Usually there is a little bit of fault on both sides!
Shall I get a job in a city where the church is strong,
or serve the church in a place where it is weak, and
could use my help, says the church member?
Shall I marry this person or wait, asks the young
person? Should I go to college, or try to make money
immediately?
There are no simple answers to these sort of questions.
Life is usually more complicated than a bumper sticker
slogan. You can't always unravel life's tangles in the
time-space of the thirty-minute sitcom. So, what do you
do when you don’t know what to do?
* You can pray. This is always a good place to start.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6, ESV).
* You can continue to search God's word for guidance.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean
on your own understanding..." (Proverbs 3:5).
* You can trust God's wisdom and goodness.
"Casting all your anxieties on him," Peter advises us,
"because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
When you don't know what to do, you trust the God who
does.
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