Thriving Soil (2)

Intro

What does it mean to follow Jesus? Christians will say things like:

· I want to follow God’s will

· Or, I want God to guide me

· But often times what we really mean is, “There is this really important and good thing in my mind that I need in my life and I want God to take me there.”

· I recently heard someone say this, “God is not my ride, He is my guide.”

· They talked about how sometimes we think of God like an UBER driver.

o God, I want to get this promotion, so please take me there.

o God, I want my wife or husband to do this thing for me, please help them do it.

o God, I want my kids to get into a prestigious university, so please make that happen.

· Those aren’t necessarily bad things, but they may only be things that are best, according to your assessment of what it is important.

· But many times, the way of following Jesus leads us to places we don’t want to by way of paths we do not want to travel.

· Theologians put it this way, “God ordains not just the ends, but he also ordains the means.”

David writes in Psalm 139 these words:

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Do you see that? God knows us perfectly, he knows where we will end up in 5, 10, 50 years but he also knows and has ordained or shaped every one of those days leading up to that 5th, 10th, and 50th year.

Illustration here

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