plowing on...

Today... plowing away... in my brokenness... with His grace paving the way...

A day full... beginning hectic...
seeking His instruction... on some specific decisions...
trying to listen...
trying not to wrestle too much...
trying to trust... in what I hear...
plowing on...

A realization... at my first stop... I forgot to call ahead to let them know I was coming... thankfully... I was received with grace... a way paved... without the gracious reception... other instructions could not be followed...

Plowing on... I followed the instructions... with a flesh that wanted to question... bringing doubt to the action... reminding me of something Dietrich Bonhoeffer said... in The Cost of Discipleship...

Moral difficulties were the first consequence of the Fall, and are themselves the outcome of "Man in Revolt" against God. The Serpent in Paradise put them into the mind of the first man by asking, "Hath God said?" Until then the divine command had been clear enough, and man was ready to observe it in childlike obedience. But that is now past, and moral doubts and difficulties have crept in. The command, suggests the Serpent, needs to be explained and interpreted. "Hath God said?" Man must decide for himself what is good by using his conscience and his knowledge of good and evil. The commandment may be variously interpreted, and it is God's will that it should be interpreted and explained: for God has given man a free will to decide what he will do.

But this means disobedience from the start. Doubt and reflection take the place of spontaneous obedience.

An insight that illumines the reason behind the difficulty of obedience... a question has been placed in the heart of man... Did God really say?... along with a desire to look for other meaning... one that fits with the flesh... rather than the Spirit... the two who never agree... sorting out... good from evil... wise from foolish... right from wrong...

Even though the issues today were not moral... I sought God's instruction and advice... on things I was unsure of... but my flesh couldn't rest with the counsel I received... there occurred an inner conflict... reason after reason coming to mind on why what I perceived in the spirit would not be a good choice... still I plowed on... learning from past experience that my own understanding... often leads to inconveniences... concerning the details of my life...

By faith... I took the counsel I believed to be His... and after plowing through... there... was... peace...

The instructions of the Lord are perfect,

reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

Psalm 19:7 NLT

We know... in moral issues... God's instructions... His Word... is always right... but in the day to day... He is right there too... when we take the time to ask... even the simplest things... become an opportunity to act wisely... if we... will... trust... and... obey... plowing through the doubt... He paves the way... with... grace...