Flavel: discovering God's will

Tuesday, January 3, 2012
    Commemoration of Gladys Aylward, Missionary in China, 1970
Meditation:
    Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.”
    —John 7:16-18 (NIV)
Quotation:
    If, therefore, in doubtful cases, you would discover God’s will, govern yourselves in your search after it by these rules.
    1. Get the true fear of God upon your hearts; be really afraid of offending him; God will not hide his mind from such a soul...
    2. Study the word more, and the concerns and interests of the world less. The word is a light to your feet...
    3. Reduce what you know into practice, and you shall know what is your duty to practise...
    4. Pray for illumination and direction in the way that you should go; beg the Lord to guide you in straits, and that he would not suffer you to fall into sin...
    5. And this being done, follow providence so far as it agrees with the word, and no farther. There is no use to be made of providence against the word, but in subserviency to it.
    ... John Flavel (1628-1691), Divine Conduct [1677], in The Whole Works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel, v. IV, London: J. Mathews, 1799, p. 470 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have given us Your true word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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