Several days ago I asked a question. “Where do you think all of the things I have been talking about during these Lenten meditations–God’s teachable moments, His inexorable call for repentance and redemption, our attempts to change course in some or all aspects of our lives, and knowing which of the many things we could address to address–are played out?” I answered that question with Romans 12:1-2 and argued that the answer is through our renewed mind, provided we approach everything with a life lived as an ongoing sacrifice to God, or as Paul calls it, a “living sacrifice”.
We all want answers. We want to know what to do. It is the human condition. For Christians, it is even more difficult, because we want to know what God wants, what He expects from us and the more we are committed to our faith, the more serious our yearning to know becomes.
The end of that short passage in Romans gives us hope.
…so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2b (Amplified Bible)
You can prove (or test to find the truth) what God wants for you, that good and perfect thing. That is what we want, isn’t it? To know the right course, to prove that we know what to do, and to rest assured in its goodness for us. This truth, coupled with the great statement of assurance in Philippians 4:7, gives us what we need to meet any challenge, persevere through any difficulty.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (Amplified Bible)
And, once we have gotten the foundation right, there are many other assurances in the Scriptures that we can know what we need to know to move confidently forward in our Christian life. For example, James 1:5 assures us “If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” John 11:22 says it more simply: “And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.”
God has told us what to do. Sacrifice and submission is the key that begins the process, allowing our lives and mind to be cleansed and then renewed is what moves it forward, and testing the possibilities gives us what we seek. Seems pretty simple when you say it like that. The rub is in the doing.
So, what are you waiting for. To borrow a phrase from Nike, “Just do it!”
