God Already Gave You a Road Map for Your Life

"I'll do whatever God wants me to do."

"God hasn't told me what His plan for me is yet."

"I'm waiting to see what God wants me to do."

Much of my conversation with fellow Christians is littered with verbage like this.  What should my career be?  God'll tell me.  What's my plan for next week?  Dunno, God hasn't told me yet.  What should tomorrow's breakfast be?  God hasn't said yet, we'll see.   The assumption in all this is that if God wants you to do something, He will divinely reveal to you His plan for your life.

Think about this however.  There are only 40 authors of the entire Bible.  That means that in the entire history of the world there were only approximately forty times that God revealed his Divine will to humans.  And people think God will split the sky and do it again, just for you?

Don't get me wrong.  We are to serve the Lord and keep His commands.  (Joshua 22:5)  All our decisions are to be in submission to God.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  But the sum total of those commands have already been known for 2, 000 years.  Jesus Himself, when the Pharisees asked for just one more sign, scoffed in their faces.  (Mark 8:10-13)  They'd seen enough to be convinced; their problem is that they didn't want to be convinced.  Christians who speak the way those above do are speaking like sailors who say they want to get to a particular destination but refuse to steer the rudder in such a way as to actually get you there.  You have the instruction manual and a map; why aren't you using it?  Oh, right, "the winds" will take you there if that's where you're supposed to go.

So, what is God's plan for your life?  Well, gee, if only He had written it down somewhere, like in a book or something...

Drink Your Beer, There Are Sober Kids in Africa

Mark 14:3-7 "While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.  But some were indignantly remarking to one another, 'Why has this perfume been wasted?  For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.'  And they were scolding her.  But Jesus said, 'Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.  For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.  She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.'"

I don't claim to be a fantastic exegete, so this may apply specifically to Jesus Himself and not have a larger application.  But it is, I think, a good response to the idea that you should always finish your dinner because there are starving children in Africa.  True enough, children need to be taught to be grateful, but not because others don't have as much (if this were true, the poor would have a right to complain against God), but because everything is a gift from God.

The End is Not Near

Mark 13: 5-8 "And Jesus began to say to them, 'See to it that no one misleads you.  Many will come in My name, saying, "I am He!" and will mislead many.  When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines.  These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.'"

I guess the "88 Reasons Why The End Will Come in 88" crowd, and their similar ilk, forgot to read this part of the Bible.