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| Church of the Advent - Medfield, MA |
Choices – decisions – we face them every day. Some seem straightforward and simple; others can range from complicated to life changing. Sometimes there seem to be no good choices. But in all of them, God promises to send and be a counselor, and in spite of our desire to trust in our own decision making, we do need a counselor.
We can trust Jesus as a counselor because He was one of us, encourages us, knows our heart, loves us, and, thankfully, is patient with us. These concepts come from Warren Wiersbe, in his small book, “His Name is Wonderful.” He also says that, “the giving of counsel to His children is one of God’s most gracious acts,” and goes on to cite the passage from James, “If any of you lack wisdom, they should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault.”
Depending on the circumstances, we probably range from not wanting any advice to seeking a complete, detailed guidebook to life. Wiersbe says that God does not counsel that way because if He did, we would remain as immature Christians. What God does do is to provide a “compass and book of promises and principles, the Bible, and lets us make the decisions day by day.”
But even within those promises and principles, more direct guidance comes if we look for it. Wiersbe says the counsel of Jesus comes to us through His Word, through the Spirit, through circumstances, and through other people in our fellowship.” These may sound a lot like the guidelines John Wesley provided for making decisions – scripture, tradition, reason, and experience – the Wesley quadrilateral.
Jesus is a counselor and will provide counsel to all of us. Our responsibility is to first, seek it. Second, to look for it. Third, to sometimes wait for it.
And finally, to follow it.
Lenny Johnson
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