July 8, 2011

Letting God govern my to-do list

As I clear the clutter from my home over the past several months, I’m also trying to clear the clutter from my to-do list. Neither is easy. As a book lover, how do I pare down my beloved library? As a lover of being busy, how can I be realistic about what can be accomplished today, this week, or in the remaining days of my life?

This week, I’ve been praying about a few of those to-do items. Some might say not to bother God with such details, yet how else can I know what to do? My emotions go up and down — meaning some days I want to toss everything, and some days I’m glad to keep it all.

Besides that, who knows what the future holds? Because I cannot see that far, my intellect cannot make reliable decisions either. I’ve file folders of good information. Will it need it? Or toss the paper and find it on the Internet? Will I need any of those books for teaching a future class? Or can someone else make better use of them? In God’s plan, who should possess these possessions? Me or someone who needs them more than I?

My prayer isn’t exactly like this one, but this is a good model to follow:

Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:4–5)
As I pray, I ask God to draw my interest to those pursuits that will be of value in my spiritual life and that will benefit others. I’m starting to notice that some things I once thought were important no longer hold any appeal. Is this God’s way of helping me cross those things off my list?

I’m aware that feelings are not as reliable as a “note on the night table” — for obvious reasons. For two weeks, God has been nudging me to invite a woman to join me in a Bible study. I knew this was from Him, but felt a bit cowardly to actually ask her. Now that I did ask, I realize that had I gone by those feelings, I’d have disobeyed God.

Yet God does not leave notes on the night table either. As His child, I need to know the difference between the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the desires of my own heart. Two verses give me some help and assurance.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)
Because I belong to Jesus, I am able to recognize His voice and follow Him. “I just know” is seldom a good answer by itself though. The Deceiver, Satan, tries to imitate the Holy Spirit as much as possible, only he lies. I need another reality as is described in this verse:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
The Bible reveals my motives and helps me know what is from God and what is not. As the Lord teaches me and leads me, I can compare what I am discerning as a nudge from the Holy Spirit with the black and white truth from His Word. That means reading the Bible and knowing what it says. It also means waiting on Him all day long, as the psalmist says. If I am tuned in, the Lord will show me what to do with that to-do list.
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As my loving heavenly Father, You do not put a blindfold on me and let me stumble through life trying to find Your will in a hit or miss fashion. Instead, You want me to know Your ways, but You also want me to want that for myself. Instead of dumping commands on me, You look at the desires of my heart before You reveal to me the desires of Your heart.

You also teach me that sometimes I cannot understand what to give up or give away until I am willing to do either, or even keep something when it makes no sense to do so. However, You have shown me that if I am willing to be led, You will lead and teach me. This is not only for the big decisions of life, but also all those small ones that tend to get on my list and then make me wonder if they should be there.

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