Would you rather?

June 28, 2023

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

Would you rather get shot from a cannon or walk a tightrope? Would you rather drink coffee in the middle of a scorching hot desert or drink a Slurpee in the middle of a snowstorm?

These are two quirky questions from a book entitled, Would you Rather? It is 465 questions to get conversations started-some are simple like; would you rather have Coke or Pepsi? Some are more serious like: would you rather die a slow painful death or die instantly in a car crash? Would you rather fall in love and lose that person or never fall in love at all? Would you rather have good grades and a bad reputation or bad grades and a good reputation?

Sometimes making decisions-choosing what you would rather-is easy, it is totally based on preference. Sometimes decisions are more complicated. How do we make choices-like would you rather do this or that? There can be many factors to consider.

But you might also desire to know what God would have you do in a certain situation. It is much harder to discern God’s will, then something we personally would “rather.” How can we know what God wants us to do or be? That is the $64,000 question.

If you want to know what someone wants-think of a friend or loved one-you spend time with them, listen to them and get to know them. You become acquainted or intimate with them. It is the same with God. Some ways to connect to God include praying, reading the Bible, or serving His people. You follow Him as best you know in the present and see how He opens or shuts doors in the future. Faith is a journey.

It is not easy. The way might not be clear to discern. The path may be dark, and borderless-it can be painful, it can be difficult. It can involve “holy sweat”-discipline, training, effort. Did you assume it would be easy?

Ever try to get fit? To live healthier? To be physically in shape? Was that easy? Of course not. Anything worth having is worth fighting for, rearranging your life for, sacrificing for, scratching, and clawing for.

If only Life was simple and following God was easy! Do you think God is going to come down and drop an individualized process improvement plan into your lap and give you a complete map of your future by sending you a link to click on?

God’s will is hard. Why else would Jesus have said when He was faced with the cross: “Father, if it be thy will, may this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Are you willing to say that?

Discerning and acting on God's will does not mean you'll never have difficult days. But choosing to live in alignment with God makes you more joyful, compassionate, and peaceful, even on bad days.

The basic decision, after all, is to let God be God, to say "yes" to Him. God is always calling us! Our only task is to seek willingness. Wouldn’t you rather do that?