From Macro Truth to Micro Choice

What’s the Christian life about? There’s much to be said and considered around the will of God. Many, like me, can seemingly get stuck trying to “find” it. There’s a reframing of our thinking that needs to take place for those of us that get slowed down by this sinking sand. Thinking about God’s will and how we ought to live first and only from a micro perspective can be a deterrent to further growth.

Here's what I mean. We are all looking for what we’re “supposed” to be doing. What are we here for? And not just as a people, but what am I here for, what are you here for – individually. If we’re not careful, we can slip into thinking we’re following God, when really we’re attempting to use Him as an oracle of sorts to tell us what we’re supposed to do next.

We’ve talked a lot here at Life Roots about the importance of knowing your why. This isn’t only a spiritual principle, you’ll find it in many other spheres as well. But, from a spiritual perspective, following God is not about doing – it’s about what’s been done for you. God’s grace is what has saved us not our own works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

It’s imperative that we see and appreciate the macro, or big picture, perspective of God first. As Paul points out, this isn’t something we’ll ever be able to fully understand (Ephesians 3:19), but we must know and have some understanding of what the character and nature of God is like. He saved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). And He loved us first so that we would love Him back and then love others.

If we go straight to what am I to “do” and neglect the reality of God’s overarching love, we’re going to burn out and miss it. It is the one who is filled with the love of God, big picture, who is then able to hone in and focus on what he or she ought to do.

We were made to be active and to work – it’s part of God’s intention for us. “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else” (Galatians 6:4).

Friend, this does not mean that you and I need to spend the next decade in seminary in order to be walking on the path of the Lord. It does mean that we need to first understand and remember that God is love and that’s the reason we are called to love others.

God is not a genie that spits out five-year plans to those who ask the loudest. No, He’s a God of grace and mercy and peace. And He chose to love you so much that He sent His only Son to die on your behalf to pay for the transgressions of your sin. He did this because He desires a relationship with you. And only then does He tell you to go, be obedient, follow Him, and share His message to others.

This is a classic “you can’t give what you don’t possess” message. And it is only from a place of recognizing the macro side of who God is that we then begin to have the light for our next steps as we pursue the micro decisions and paths of our individual lives. It’s the macro that informs the micro, not the other way around.

I want to encourage you today to consider the big picture of God. Paul says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstance for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Continue to learn about what God’s like through His Word. This will act as a light and as a guide for us as we consider our next steps.