Sealed Orders
Theme of the Week: Focused Freedom
Stephen Graves & Thomas Addington
Thursday, May 29, 2003
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Key Bible Verse: Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give …. He went without knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Bonus Reading:Hebrews 11:9-10
Navy ships and submarines often sail under sealed orders. Before leaving port, the captain is given an envelope. After the vessel embarks, he opens it. It contains only longitude and latitude coordinates. The captain sails to this nautical intersection, then radios the commander for his next instructions. He doesn't know his destination, but follows orders from point to point.
Sound familiar? Navigating life can be a mysterious, baffling assignment. God doesn't furnish a detailed, start-to-finish blueprint. Instead, He gives us instructions for a certain stretch of life, and expects us to follow them until He gives new orders. Obeying can be difficult when the details are sketchy or we don't know the outcome.
But when we get to the place where we trust Jesus to guide us a step at a time, we experience new freedom—from worry about the long-term ramifications of a difficult decision … the need to know exactly what a certain relationship will look like next year … the fear that if we make one wrong move our lives will be ruined forever. Suddenly, living under sealed orders sounds like a gift from a loving God.
—Stephen Graves & Thomas Addington in Life@Work
My Response: Something I believe God is asking me to do for now is …
Thought to Apply: Understanding can wait, but obedience cannot.
—Geoffrey Grogan (British Christian educator)
Adapted from Life@Work (11-12/00) by permission.
Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.
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Lord, help me move beyond "have to" to "want to" in relating to Your commands.
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