Sunday, March 16, 2014

Michael rowed the boat ashore. He did not steer.

The Word for today:
Genesis 26
Yesterday we looked at Genesis 24, the most sustained picture of the Holy Spirit in all of scripture.
Today we are going to focus on one verse from that chapter:
Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren. (Genesis 24:27 / NKJV)
Being on the way, the LORD led me.
We'd all l like to be led by the Spirit, but where to begin? So much about the Holy Spirit can seem so mysterious so much of the time. It can seem like the leading of the Holy Spirit must be for spiritual insiders--which I am not!
So I almost gave up on the idea of walking by the Spirit (1), until I happened across Genesis 24:27, which paints a picture I can understand:
Put it in gear, and God will steer!
***
I remember, not all that long ago, when a new desire came over me. I wanted to tell everybody how great Jesus is, but I didn't know how to go about doing that. I didn't know where to begin or where to turn. And then I found the answer in Genesis 24:27:
Get underway, and God will lead.
Alright. So I began to type. I typed out article after article with my prevailing theme--"How Great Thou Art!" No one saw these articles, but I kept typing them. Then one day the office manager at a church I'd been attending stopped me in the parking lot as I made my way to our car:
"Franklyn, we need a column in our monthly newsletter. We need a column about the Bible, but it can't sound formal or academic. We need a Bible column written from a personal perspective. And you're going to be our writer."
It was music to my ears! She was halfway through her second sentence when I had already decided which of my already-written articles would be submitted first.
She had no way of knowing that I had already started. But God knew I was underway, and so he led me. And as I kept on going God kept on leading me, right to this very word.
So don't let it become complicated. If you want to be led by God, just take a step. And remember--
Michael rowed the boat ashore. He did not steer.
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(1) see Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16, 25

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