These are wonderful Christian men in Malawi, Africa. We trained them how to share the good news of Jesus and they actually went out and did it. They led hundreds (maybe thousands) to the Lord all over the country.

I Samuel 12, again

Have you ever heard the phrase, “living in the middle of God’s will?” To me that’s the theme of this chapter. Follow God’s path (live by the principles and precepts of His Word), seek Him daily and in all your decisions in life, big and small, prayerfully surrender to Him. Sounds good, in theory. But sometimes, let’s face it, I just want stuff.  Just like Israel, they just wanted an earthly king. Seemed like a good idea. Sometimes I just want to go here, do this, do that, buy this, move here, have a relationship there, etc. Is it God’s will or not?

The gray area (or is it The grey area?)

Now I’m not talking about clear violations of God’s Word but more of those neutral decisions that may or may not be determined by the clear precepts of God’s Word. I’m not writing about a married man having an affair, cheating on taxes or lying to get a good deal? There’s no need to seek God’s will for such a decision because it is already clear from Gods Word. But what about which car to you buy? That’s neutral, isn’t it? What about the decision to lease a BMW 740 or buy a Toyota Camry?  Hmmm, now maybe we are getting to motives here…. maybe? But it goes further than one car over another. A wealthy Christian may be able to afford the 740 and drive it without debt and even without pride. Is it OK for him? But is it God’s best for him? Then again, a Christian man of humble means may push the limits of God’s will by leasing an expensive car for personal prestige to create an image. It’s going to be difficult to affirm that he is “living in the middle of God’s will” when he is stretching his resources for prestige at the expense of caring for his family.  All this to say that I have found the words of Samuel in the second half of this chapter as clarifying for my view of “living in the middle of God’s will.” But, unfortunately, I’m late to work and will have to pick this up tomorrow. Lord, teach us how to view our decisions from Your perspective. Lead us to be biblical, to be prayerful and to obedient. Amen!