Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View by Garry Friesen & J. Robin Maxson

Author:Garry Friesen & J. Robin Maxson [Friesen, Garry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307569240
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2009-10-05T07:00:00+00:00

Putting Desires in Their Place

The traditional view teaches that our personal desires can be a road sign pointing to God’s individual will. But once again, there is some difficulty in reading the sign. For believers have godly desires, sinful desires, foolish desires, proud desires, and any number that are hard to identify. Christians continually ask, “How can I distinguish a desire given by the Holy Spirit from one that springs from my own heart that would be satisfied with less than God’s best?”

The wisdom view is not left with introspective guesswork. To begin with, it does not view any desire as authoritative. All desires must be judged by God’s moral will and wisdom. Morally acceptable desires are approved by God and sinful ones are not—and the Bible explains which are which. Personal desires must also be judged by wisdom. Sometimes I feel like leaving my office to work out in the gym on campus. As I look at the work on my desk, I am forced to admit that it would be wiser to finish grading the Bible exams. If any time remains after that, I can run over to the gym for some exercise. My desire to continue as a faculty member overrides my desire to shoot a few baskets.

Personal desires that God’s moral will and wisdom have declared acceptable can be an excellent source of wisdom. For the Scripture says that we are to serve God eagerly with all our hearts. We can more easily obey this command if our decisions are in harmony with our personal inclinations. If third-grade girls give you the hives, and you are motivated by the challenge of giving some direction to junior high boys, accept the eighth-grade boys Sunday school class. If the options are genuinely equal, wisdom chooses the one that would be most enjoyable to carry out.

Spiritual growth will make a significant impact on our desires. For as we mature, we will have an increasing desire to live a life that manifests wisdom. As growth takes place, our personal desires will more and more reflect what is wise.

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