Returning to the topic from yesterday, one section of King Me in particular caught my attention. Farrar says, "God gives men the gifts that they need to accomplish His purpose in their lives" (p. 146). Reading that phrase, I began to wonder about the role that natural gifts or even spiritual gifts should have in my son's choice of vocation.
Taught by Dr. Greg Mazak, Counseling Techniques was one of the most helpful courses I took during my B.A. from Bob Jones University. A particularly useful lesson discussed discovering God's will, during which Dr. Mazak refuted several common and unbiblical approaches. The next few paragraphs are an adaptation of that section of class notes from Counseling Techniques.
Unbiblical Approaches to Decision Making
First, I can try to figure out what God wants me to do by looking at circumstances. There is the "open door" approach, based on a misunderstanding of Colossians 4:3. Paul is not trying to decide what to do based on his circumstances; he knows God wants him to preach, so he's asking the Colossians to ask God to give him opportunities to fulfill that ministry.
Related to the "open door" approach is the "putting out my fleece" or "testing God" method. I pray something like "God, I will witness to the next person who walks into Starbucks," or, "If the coin comes up tails, I'll go to prayer meeting tonight." The worst adaptation I recall hearing was a man who prayed, "Lord, I'll marry the next woman who walks through the door of this lobby." This comes dangerously close to violating Matthew 4:7 by putting God to the test - trying to make Him serve my whims and wishes, and blaming him for my poor choices and the resulting consequences.
Second, there is the subjective feelings-driven or results-driven approach. When making decisions based on feelings, I ask myself, "What do I feel like doing?" rather than "What pleases God?/What has God told me to do?" When making decisions based solely on results, I remember, "That worked last time. It must be the right thing to do." Applied to churches, we praise churches with large crowds or large numbers of apparent conversions: "God must be blessing; look at those results." It is dangerous to assume that temporary success measured by extra-biblical standards indicates God's blessing.
While there is merit in considering circumstances, feelings, and results at some point, these things cannot be the primary factor in our decision making, especially when it comes to deciding on a vocation.
A Biblical Pattern for Making Wise Choices
What, then, is a biblical pattern? We begin by realizing that the truth to guide us is found in the Bible (John 17:17). God is in control of all things (Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11). He has made every true Christian into a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). God will give us wisdom, not so much by giving us new knowledge, but by helping us remember the truth of the Bible (James 1:5-7).
I believe a biblical approach for determining God's will can be modeled after the pattern for the call to ministry, discussed yesterday. First, there is a God-given desire. Second, there are qualifications which ensure that the desire is pleasing to God rather than driven by selfish ambition or some other wrong motive. Third, there is some degree of confirmation.
The call to ministry is not identical to the call to a vocation. One significant difference is found in the specifics given in the Bible. There are clear requirements for what a pastor is to be and do; the expectations for an architect, engineer, or lawyer are not specifically outlined. But there are general principles which apply.
How does the choice of vocation look when following a similar pattern to that found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7?
Let's say your son who is a Christian has a desire to be a musician. Perhaps that is what God wants him to do, since God is at work to transform our desires to please Him. However, since our hearts are still deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), it would be wise to proceed on that path cautiously. For example, suppose he is tone deaf, or unable to get the fingering right when playing an instrument. Obviously I'm on more tenuous ground here, since I'm applying a biblical principle, rather than describing a clear command. Still, I think you can take clear biblical principles (God gives us as Christians new desires, God equips us to serve Him, we ought to do all to God's glory) and arrive at a decision that would please Him. God will enable your son to do what He wants him to do, whether through natural abilities, or through spiritual gifts, and the development of both.
There is a further degree of confirmation when a child is following the advice of his parents, his pastor, and older, mature people in his church. They are not infallible, but God gives parents to children to lead them (Ephesians 6:4).
All of these factors taken together (biblical principles, practical skills/abilities, the advice of mature Christians) will help to guide your child into a God-pleasing vocation. Circumstances may alter those plans somewhat; feelings of accomplishment or frustration may test his resolve; results, both positive and negative, may spur him onward or cause him to stop and reconsider. But the ultimate starting point and guide must be Scriptural principle; all other sources of guidance are unreliable and cannot reach the same degree of authority.
I'm not describing anything profound, or asserting anything new here. Still, I hope I am setting forth a biblical pattern for how we figure out what is pleasing to the Lord, whether in our day to day decisions, or the more important questions of vocations that may last decades.
No comments:
Post a Comment