Meditation for Monday
And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts 1:26
This is a fascinating event, the selection of Matthias, in several ways. The disciples were selecting a replacement for Judas Iscariot, so they used the Old Testament form of making decisions: committing the matter to God and casting lots. It worked! But it doesn’t work anymore. This text comes on the very threshold of an entirely new capability for making decisions. There are people today who make decisions based on the flip of a coin, the spin of a wheel, or even by consulting satanic horoscope predictions. Such misguided guidance is unacceptable -and unnecessary – for Christians.
In the Old Testament, and right up to and including Acts Chapter 1, indications of God’s will and purpose were external. Men were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit as we are today. God was willing to reveal His will in different ways. But today, the Holy Spirit lives within each believer. We have God Himself who would guide and direct our lives, our thoughts, our decisions, our actions and behaviour. God loves for us to have all that is the very best, which is to be within His purposes.
It is interesting to see how carefully and earnestly the disciples carried out the task of filling up their ranks. They prayed for God to reveal His choice of the two candidates and trusted in Him to have the right man chosen. Although we can’t adopt their method, we can adopt their mindset. Although each disciple may have had his personal favourite, they all were determined to leave the decision to the Lord.
Is that how we make our decisions? If we bow in submission to Him, we can be confident that the Spirit will work His will.
It is natural to have our own desires and interests in mind when we make decisions. How much better to submit to Supernatural guidance and to make perfect decisions! -Jim MacIntosh