Luke 3: 1 – 20
Day in and day out we make choices. Some are easier than others. But what really stops us in our tracks are the big questions like, “What should I do?” This is not meaning, should I go to a party or event, or stay home. No. This question, the one that tugs on our heart, is about seeking God’s will, usually concerning something significant.
Let me interject here that we NEED to seek God’s will in EVERYTHING, especially the big decisions in life. We desperately need His guidance.
However, in the midst of waiting for the big answers, I believe God tells us many times in scripture to do what we know. Certainly in this passage, that comes through loud and clear.
John the Baptist had quite a thriving ministry, even though he was an odd sort of dude out in the wilderness. People came to hear his message of repentance and they asked him, “what should we do?” They were looking for a big theological answer – for a cosmic revelation.
There were three groups asking this question. John’s answers pretty much told them to do what they knew was right.
To the multitudes he said, share your resources with the poor or those who had a need.
To the tax collectors he said, be honest and don’t be greedy.
To the soldiers he said, have integrity in your job, don’t lie, and be content with your wages.
This all seems like simple stuff. These are things everyone should do. There’s no new revelation here. I think that is precisely what we can get out of this scripture passage. While we are waiting for God to give us the bigger answers, it’s important to do what we know.
For me personally, I see two truths I can cling to reliably. 1 – God is always working on my behalf. So while He is working on my bigger issues, I need to keep doing what I know to do – “just keep swimming” – and trust that God’s got this. And 2 – be faithful in the small things. If I can’t do the smaller things, why would God trust me with more?
So thank you Lord for leading me to this scripture today. Thank you for showing me something I have never seen before. Thank you for the assurance that as You are working on my big questions, I can continue to be faithful in what I know to do — day-to-day, in the ordinary, in the regular, in the mundane, in everyday life.