Steering by Gods Compass
We should trust in God's guidance and follow our own personal bent, guided by love for Him and for our fellow men, rather than seeking His leading in every decision.
In this sermon on love, the preacher delves into the concept of 'phileo' love, which is a friendship type of love based on emotions and personal attachment. 'Phileo' is a love that expects a response and is often seen in relationships where there is mutual affection and delight. This type of love is described as a warm affection that requires attention and thrives on a reciprocal nature. While 'phileo' love is conditional and based on finding qualities in another person admirable, 'agapao' love is selfless and originates from a sense of the preciousness of the object loved.
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Put this down as an unfailing rule: Never seek the leading of the Lord concerning an act that is forbidden in the Word of God. To do so is to convict ourselves of insincerity. Again, prophet, psalmist, apostle and our blessed Lord Himself join to point out the way of positive obedience. His yoke is easy, His burden is light and He giveth more grace, so let this be the second rule: Never seek the leading of the Lord concerning an act that has been commanded in the Scriptures.
Now, a happy truth too often overlooked in our anxious search for the will of God is that in the majority of decisions touching our earthly lives God expresses no choice, but leaves everything to our own preference.
Some Christians walk under a cloud of uncertainty, worrying about which profession they should enter, which car they should drive, which school they should attend, where they should live and a dozen or score of other such matters, when their Lord has set them free to follow their own personal bent, guided only by their love for Him and for their fellow men. On the surface it appears more spiritual to seek Gods leading than just to go ahead and do the obvious thing. But it is not.
If God gave you a watch would you honor Him more by asking Him for the time of or by consulting the watch? If God gave a sailor a compass would the sailor please God more by kneeling in a frenzy of prayer to persuade God to show him which way to go or by steering according to the compass?
Sermon Outline
- The Unfailing Rule
- The Way of Positive Obedience
- God's Silence in Decision Making
- Following Personal Bent
- Guided by love for God and fellow men
- No need for uncertainty in everyday decisions
Key Quotes
“If God gave you a watch would you honor Him more by asking Him for the time of or by consulting the watch?” — A.W. Tozer
“If God gave a sailor a compass would the sailor please God more by kneeling in a frenzy of prayer to persuade God to show him which way to go or by steering according to the compass?” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should trust in God's guidance and follow our own personal bent in everyday decisions.
- We should not seek God's leading in acts that are forbidden in the Word of God.
- We should honor God by following our own preference, guided by love for Him and for our fellow men.