The Mystery of Godliness

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.

-1 Timothy 3:16

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The Open Door Fallacy

Life is full of decisions and opportunities. Continually we come up to intersections and forks in the road. Wanting to understand and follow the will of God, we stop to consider and evaluate the options.

Lots of Christians subscribe to a theory of divine guidance which we might call "The Open Door Theory." This theory basically says that when you find an opportunity - an "open door" - you should walk through it, because God must have opened it.

Wait.

Maybe God did open it. Maybe he didn't. Maybe the Devil did. Maybe the wind blew it open.

How do you know?

I don't mind granting that occasionally God creates opportunities and "opens doors." What I take exception to is the idea that every open door is a sign from God. That's not discernment - that's merely taking the path of least resistance. Godly discernment means looking open-eyed at the opportunities and obstacles before us, laying them before the Lord, and then and only then proceeding.

Sometimes we may be able to walk through an open door; sometimes we may find it necessary to knock and pray and weep at a closed one. Sometimes we may find ourselves completely walled in, as it were, in a place where it seems like there are no doors at all, with no choice but to wait on God or build a ladder.

Paul had his own perspective on open doors. Writing to the Corinthian church about his work at Ephesus, he says:

For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

1 Corinthians 16:9

Does that sound like an open door to you? It did to Paul. He knew that following the leading of the Lord didn't mean he wouldn't have opposition. In fact, he expected opposition. (Acts 20:23, 2 Tim. 3:12) His confidence in the direction and protection of the Lord was not affected by the obstacles that he faced. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Paul was also careful about staking his decisions too heavily on a single factor. Consider what he writes about being in Troas:

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

2 Corinthians 2:12-13

There were opportunities in Troas. People were listening. Things were happening. God was working. Even with all that, Paul was restless because he didn't know where Titus was! So he packed up and sailed across the Aegean Sea to seek his brother, knowing God could open more doors whenever he wanted to.

While we're at it, there's one more crystal ball to smash. I have in mind the example of Gideon, which seems to be chronically misunderstood in the Church today. The expression "putting out a fleece" has become a euphemism for seeking the will of the Lord. That wasn't what Gideon was doing. God had already told him what to do, and he was afraid to do it. He didn't turn tail and run like Jonah, but he was unable to move forward without more "evidence."

I submit that "putting out a fleece" is simply lusting for a sign. "[Jesus] answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.'" (Matthew 12:39) It's spiritual skepticism dressed up as discernment. Beware of spending too much time seeking "confirmation."

Justus ex fide vivit: the just shall live by faith.

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Where Is Your Confidence?

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

-Psalm 42:5-6

Between being sick, dealing with challenges at work, and running at the limits of my concentration with wedding plans and the responsibilities of life, I've been reminded of something.

I'm not Superman.

I don't have what it takes. I can't alter the arc of the universe; I'm just a man. It's a hostile world. The obstacles are too big.

God wants to strip away our self-reliance - until there's nothing left for us to do but trust God, love people, and put one foot in front of the other. I don't know where I'm headed, but I'm walking. I have ideas, but I don't have answers. "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

God doesn't expect us to keep up with him. He expects us to trust him to carry us when we get tired. He expects us to trust him for the strength to carry others when they get tired. And he expects us to give him the glory - not just verbally, but to understand deep inside that it really belongs to him.

Climb on
A back that's strong
You can't get what you want
Climb on
A back that's strong

-Caedmon's Call (Shawn Colvin)

When we're discouraged, it's usually because we're looking to ourselves too much. "Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."

Look to God, and see if you don't feel better. And yes, I believe feeling better is scriptural.

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