A childhood memory popped into my head as I prepared to write this devotional.
When I was a boy, I lived on a farm. It was a small farm, but to a young child it was my world. A world to be explored, studied, conquered and be conquered. My imaginary adventures took place on that land of woods, pasture, field, and home.
One summer day, a black and white collie happened upon my domain. Instantly I could tell that the dog was poorly cared for. His coat was full of burrs and other prickly things. The hapless dog’s fur was overgrown and matted. I had never seen an animal in such a pitiful state.
Though I thought that sad specimen of a collie needed me, when I approached him he ran away. Days or weeks later I spotted the collie a few houses down the road from home.
He appeared to live at that place. Why didn’t he leave? His life couldn’t be worse. It seemed so odd to me.
This memory got me thinking about how easy it is to let ourselves waste away in familiar situations. Certainly, there are times when it is God’s will for us to represent Jesus in woeful environments. And there are times when it’s God’s will to be wasted for Jesus. I wrote a devotional about being wasted for the Lord.
Still, I know people that God called to be missionaries but they didn’t go. They stayed in their familiar world, like that poor collie, rather than launch out into a life of faith. A life that God’s heart had crafted for them.
Missionary is just an example. God may be calling on you to advance your education, open a business, or teach. The question is the same as that collie faced; do I stay or do I go? If God says “stay”, then rejoice in God’s will. If God says “go” then go, you’ve got a great adventure ahead of you. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“
Photo credit: Janitors on Visualhunt.com / CC BY
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https://rockexcavationservice.org/2019/04/21/go-ahead/