For breakfast this morning I had a slice of gluten free bread (mostly rice flour), a patty of hot breakfast sausage, a slice of uncolored American cheese (it’s white without food coloring), one egg over easy, and a scoop of homemade pinto beans. It was all stacked up and the beans poured over the top. There is nothing miraculous about my diet and I really doubt you should follow my example. The miracle is that I am eating what my convictions tell me within the context.
When I give personal counsel to you, I can offer two things. First, I can tell you what I would be likely to do in your situation, insofar as you have described it to me. Second, I can tell you some generalities about human behavior and how God has worked in the lives of those I’ve counseled or observed in the past. The idea is not that you should follow my advice, but that you should come to a firm conviction what God wants you to do.
That’s the real miracle. You are the only one who could possibly know what God requires of you. The best I can hope for is to bounce ideas off of you and pray that your own faith is awakened. If I can prod you through some kind of mental exercise until you finally discover your own path, that’s a miracle blessing from God.
Let me remind you: shalom is defined as peace with God. It’s a moving target. What He wants from you today may in one way or another change tomorrow. It’s like my breakfast — I’ll tend to eat pretty much the same thing for long stretches until I start craving something different, perhaps a little less food, or maybe not have time to eat at all because of some priority event that arises. Making up rules only creates false guilt, so I spend a lot of time in prayer so that I can come to a sense of conviction. Our God is a Person and He tells us only as much as we need to know to shine His glory.
Come to me for counsel because the Lord leads you that way. You have no other cause for trusting anything I might say. Even then, your trust should be in the process of obedience, not taking seriously what I tell you.
