tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30176948.post2274499288610640112..comments2008-10-18T20:58:20.195-04:00Pastor Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506888721434975233noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30176948.post-29688767619590450222008-10-18T20:58:00.000-04:002008-10-18T20:58:00.000-04:00Dan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks so much for your input, which is exactly the sort I was hoping for, in that I'm particularly lousy at anticipating holes in my own reasoning.<BR/><BR/>To your question about specificity, I would say "no up front, but yes in the long run”. No, because I agree that Biblical wisdom doesn’t point to tidy destinations, and I wholeheartedly concur about our ability to make apparently free moral choices. I purposefully threw the word apparently in there, though, to lead to the rationale for my yes, because I think that when we exercise what wisdom we have in good faith, then God’s providence accomplishes for us what is in our ultimate best interest, as in Romans 8:28. Paradoxically, this means I may make an objectively wrong decision, but God (who is the only truly free agent) will bring about his desired end, which is by definition correct.<BR/><BR/>Reading what I just wrote sounds a little like an exercise in self-contradiction, so feel free to fire away at the inconsistencies.<BR/><BR/>And many thanks for taking time to read and comment.<BR/><BR/>MichaelPastor Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506888721434975233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30176948.post-66576606937535906932008-10-18T18:58:00.000-04:002008-10-18T18:58:00.000-04:00I like “God’s Positioning System.”<BR/><BR/>I'm wondering: do you think God's wisdom works with that sort of specificity? There are those who would say, "Yes." That is, do you think it would tell us <I>which specific</I> person to marry, <I>which specific</I> job to take, <I>which specific</I> house (or can of peas) to buy?<BR/><BR/>I'd understand it differently. I might have 1, 3, 7 choices, all perfectly acceptable to God. Wisdom would help me narrow it down, and it can help me make <I>a</I> wise choice. But my understanding of God's guidance is that the choice is mine, if it's a moral choice. Wisdom, in that way, doesn't say "arriving at destination," with the implication that there is only one.<BR/><BR/>Maybe the GPS is more like wisdom (to me) in that it helps you by laying out the array of choices (like the GPS gives you a list of nearby restaurants), and once you pick your own morally-acceptable location, it helps you get there.DJPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.com