How do you tell the difference between something good and something of God?
Are they always one and the same?
I get involved in plenty of good stuff. In fact, a lot of the things I do could be considered good things. You too.
But if they aren’t the things that God wants me to do, is it the right use of my time?
I remember a discussion in seminary class about whether we should pray about every single thing. Some students argued that we should pray about every single decision. Others said not every decision is one that God cares about. The example given was in regard to the purchase of a vehicle and that God probably doesn’t care whether you purchase the yellow or the blue car. That God allows us to make some decisions on our own and doesn’t really care one way or another about some of the small things.
Maybe.
But I sure like this explanation on how to determine the difference between good things and God things:
“One of the ways I can tell if something is a good thing or a God thing is very simple. Did I pray about it? Did I even take the time to reflect on this purchase or that conversation, accepting this job, or deciding to watch that movie? If I haven’t prayed, then I may not have brought God into the decision-making process at all. No, the possession or activity may not be evil, wrong, or destructive, but if I’m not even aware of how I can use it to honor God, I’ll probably miss the opportunity.
“In the church today, many of us are preoccupied with “good things.” We want God to make us feel good, and we want to be entertained by the services. If one church doesn’t make us feel just right, we go somewhere else. God wants us to grow beyond the infant stage of thinking that all of life is about us. As we mature, we learn that God has a purpose for us that is far bigger, far grander, far more meaningful than anything we can imagine.
…“Many of us need to stop doing some of the good things we’re doing right now so we can focus more of our time, energy, and passion on Christ. I know men who have chosen to go fishing less often, women who resign from a club or organization that was absorbing their time, and students who dropped out of cheerleading or a sport because they realized these activities stole their hearts away from Jesus” (Thomas Young – “Do You Want to Go to the Mountain?”).
Are you possibly involved in some good things that aren’t God things?
It sure is easy to do.
How do you determine the difference between a good thing and a God thing?
…a true Christian must be willing to sacrifice everything in this life for the sake of the next. – Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language
