“God is a door opener, but he is not a celestial enabler.”- John Ortberg
“Even as he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”- Ephesians 1:4
Today John Ortberg addresses the second common myth about doors in Chapter 4 of All the Places to Go.
2. If I can’t tell which door to choose, either God is doing something wrong or I am. As Pastor Ortberg points out, “big door” decisions rarely are simple. He believes that when we’re looking for God to tell us what to do, it’s not so much that we’re looking for God’s will for our lives. Rather, we’re looking for relief from the anxiety that comes with making difficult decisions.
In order to become the person God wants us to become, often God’s will for our lives is for us to decide. God’s primary will is that we become persons of “excellent character, wholesome liveliness, and divine love.” At other times, wisdom itself will help us know the right course to take.
John emphasizes that a lack of guidance from heaven regarding which door to choose doesn’t mean that either God has failed or we have. John concludes that, very often, it’s just the opposite:
“God knew I would grow more from having to make a decision than I would if I got a memo from heaven that would prevent me from growing.”
Today’s question: How has making difficult decisions strengthened your Christian walk and character? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Easy on the inside”
