Dr Paul Allen

Every Christian I have ever met has an interest in and a desire for pleasing God by living in accordance with His will. When it comes to personal decision making—especially in seemingly large, life-affecting decisions (“Is this God’s will for my marriage partner?” “Is it God’s will for me to accept this job offer?”), we want God to give us His counsel, His advice, His direction.  There is certainly nothing wrong with that. In especially hard decisions, we want to make an appointment with God and sit down across the desk from Him and explain to Him the situation and the decision we face and then to sit back and listen and have Him tell us exactly what decision to make. Or—maybe even more honestly—what we want is for God to decide for us so that we won’t have to. The question is, does God direct us when we make personal decisions, and if so, how can I find that guidance? Or, can I know in advance God’s will for me in matters not explicitly spelled out in the Scriptures? While we cannot k

Image via Wikipedia Most of the decisions you will make today aren’t explicitly addressed in the Bible . Questions like, should I eat out today? What should I wear? Should I respond to  this instance  of my child’s sin with correction or forbearance? Should I shop today or tomorrow? Should I check my email  again ? The Bible doesn’t even give specific guidance on huge, life-shaping decisions like should I marry this person? Should I give more or save for retirement? Should we adopt a child? Should I pursue a different vocation? Should we homeschool?  Should I pursue chemo or try an alternative cancer treatment ? Should we buy this home or a less expensive one? Which college should I attend? Is it time to put my elderly parent in a nursing home ? Should I go to the mission field? Should I separate from my spouse while we work on these very painful issues? These kinds of decisions tend to have multiple acceptable options within the scope of God ’s revealed moral will, his comma