Wild Goose Chase Conversation
If you haven’t picked up your copy of Wild Goose Chase, you should go pick up your copy and get busy on it. Today, the conversation begins.
It’s beautiful how God weaves people, events, books, etc. into our story in order to shape and define us. The first chapter of Wild Goose Chase is all about where Kristen and I are right now. We have been presented with a situation and we are trying to figure out the will of God. We are experiencing the circumstantial uncertainty that Batterson talks about. I can see how this would be an adventure that I would love to chase, and I can see how it would be the other kind of wild goose chase, the one where you aimlessly follow a path that eventually drains you and leaves you with nothing.
So we wrestle with what to do. Life could get really exciting or it could get really crazy (and it could be both, which is highly likely, in fact.) This initial chapter from Batterson asks us, “Why is it that we don’t go after the adventure more as Christians?” It is as though we have trained ourselves to run from adventure. Kind of reminds me of Spunky, our Jack Russel. He will bark at about anything or anyone, but as soon as that person or object begins coming toward him, he runs behind Kristen or me (and has been known to pee himself). So, I have to ask myself, as Batterson does, “Instead of following Holy Spirit, am I just inviting Him to follow me right now down the safe and easy paths?” All the while, I am reminding myself, “Perhaps these so called ‘safe and easy’ paths are exactly where God wants me in this season of my life.”
Batterson writes that, “Jesus died to make us dangerous.” I’m with you Mark, wholeheartedly, but what does this mean for me where right where I’m at today? My initial answer is twofold. 1) Remember that he who loses His life for My sake will find it. Meditate on that. Let that seep deep into your bones and come alive. I think I glance over this passage more often that abide in it. 2) I need to be deeper in relationship with you in order to hear these answers. So, since my prayer and reading time with my Father and Friend have sucked lately, that’s what I’m off to do.
How does adventure strike you? What do you do to discern the will of God in your life?
tara
Monday, 25th August 2008 at 8:57 am
hey brian
where can i pick a copy up at
BJ
Wednesday, 27th August 2008 at 3:08 pm
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Cor 10: 31-33
“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Prov. 16:3
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col 3:16-17
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Col 3:23-24
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” Eph 1:4-12
For me, and i think for everyone, it’s not so much about the details of life concerning “what.” It’s whatever we do, do for Him. In the verses from Ephesians, it says that He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. i’m not saying that we can sin and say, “oh, i did it for the Lord” at all, or that we don’t have to make tough decisions in life–b/c we will. However, i think that the main thing we must do is not sin. We shouldn’t only think about ourselves when making a decision or what benefits we may reap as a result. We shouldn’t try to write a conclusion to something that hasn’t happened yet, but embrace where we presently are. i think we must put our trust in the Lord that no matter what route we take, He will eventually lead us to where we are supposed to be. Just because we make a decision that causes us to take the long way around doesn’t necessarily mean that the decision we made was sinful.
And i love adventure. But, i think what i do wrong alot of times is i try to seek out adventure. Point being, because we’re children of God, adventure will automatically come our way. When we seek adventure, we end up creating our own personal standards and we make the adventure about ourselves. i don’t have this book, so i don’t really know what it says. But, i honestly feel that the main adventure in life is uncertainty–not knowing what tomorrow will bring. i think we experience adventure everyday and a lot of times we experience adventure but just don’t realize it. This comment is getting rather long so i think i’ll stop–i think it’s actually the beginning of my next blog post, ha. i’ll continue it there.