God’s Open Door … or Not
For those who desire God’s plan and purpose, we are told to be watchful for God’s Open Door … Or Maybe Not. Anyone with good sense should want the direction of an all-wise God who promises that His intent for you is only for GOOD and not evil. (Jeremiah 29:11) So, this whole life adventure may not be easy or seem fair, there is a Grand Plan in place that cannot be measured in the moment. The story of Job finds this Old Testament man fallen from great riches and luxury into a period of roughly a year or two when he lost his family, his wife, his wealth, his health … but he didn’t lose his hope in God. But, he sure did question God for the awful hardships he had to endure. But the end of the story shows that God didn’t forget or neglect him. In fact, Job was given double of all he had lost.
In our adventure, our hindsight is far better than our foresight. As we look for success in life, how do we recognize God’s Open Door?
Seek Truth: First and foremost, use a good standard to evaluate the true value of the open door. That is the Bible, our measuring stick. Does this open door require a compromise of your Biblical beliefs now or later? If so, it may be wise to take a pass and wait for the next open door opportunity because not all open doors are from God and are temptations that require compromise, deceit, and immoral expectations at the start or later.
Pray about it: Take a breath when you encounter an open door. Like Israel’s mistake with the lying emissaries of Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-27) this seeming good opportunity was a concocted lie that was the first step in a pattern of failure for Israel’s conquest of the land.
Joining Hands with Others: Dealing with others includes the character of the other parties. (Psalms 1) In the news, we learn that Denzel Washington would not attend P Diddy’s “Freak Out” parties and warned others to avoid these totally compromising parties. Those who jumped at an invitation for these lavish events now earnestly regret their decision.
Seek wise Counsel: (Rehoboam’s error in II Kings 12:6-20) Look into the future of your decision. Block out the potential good benefits for a moment, and try to use the wisdom of years (or ask an elder counselor) to pour wisdom into your mind.
