Knowing and Working in God's Way

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

This is a brief excerpt from an article "On Mission with God" by Henry Blackaby and Avery Willis that I had shared with the NAOMI House missions team on their recent trip.  While it has a missions-bent to it, it is an important lesson for us all as we seek to walk in God's ways and not our own strength and wisdom.

Even a casual reader of the Bible can see that God's ways and plans are so different from the ways that most people accomplish their goals.  In Isaiah 55:8, God says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways."  On their own, people achieve goals by their own efficiency and ingenuity.  But being on mission with God and seeking to follow His ways, we must follow Kingdom principles to accomplish Kingdom purposes.
 
Our ways may seem good to us.  We may succeed in accomplishing some things.  When we try to do the work of God in our own ways, however, we will never see the mighty power of God in what we do, and the world will not see God revealing Himself to them.  Sadly, this is the very thing we desire, to display God's love and power through us to others.  For it is only by God's power that people come to know and worship Him.  When God accomplishes His purposes in His ways through you, people will come to know Him.  They will recognize that what has happened can only be explained by God.  And He will receive the glory!

Learning to follow God's ways may be more important than making sincere attempts to do His will.  God is eager to reveal His ways to you because they are the only way to truly accomplish His Kingdom purposes.  God wants to complete His work through you.  He can only do that as you adjust your life to Him and to His ways.  God is constantly inviting you into His mission.  What adjustments do you need to make to walk in God's ways?

Pastor Darren