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God, Head Ball Coach

You thought football coaches decide who plays what position? Daniel Sepulveda, a punter drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers, thinks otherwise:

"I guess the first couple of years that I was the punter at Baylor, and started to realize and recognize that that's all I was going to be doing. I tried to sneak my way onto some special teams throughout my career and was able to do that at times. I really did enjoy it, but finally did settle in to where I knew that punter was the position that God would have me to be at."

Comments

This man believes that God is in control of his life and directs it. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. However, I think that many of the details of our lives are probably not a concern of God's and, therefore, not directed by Him. Maybe it was important to God that he play punter rather than some other position, but I doubt it.

He knows the number of the hairs on our heads - I think thats pretty detailed.

I disagree Jonathan.....my God knows the number of hairs on my head therefore it seems like He's pretty concerned with the details, don't you think?

Robin....we think alike!!!  Your post was up when I finished mine :)

Yes, he knows the number of hairs on my head...but if I pluck a few out, I don't think he cares. The number of hairs quote illustrates how much he cares about me, but that doesn't mean he cares about what color socks I wore today or if I live above or below the equator or if I earn a living by pushing a broom or designing spaceships.

I think there is merit in considering God's will for every area of my life......not just the ones I happen to think are the important ones.

God's will is that I love Him, that I love my neighbor as myself..."He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." ( Micah 6:8 ). That sort of stuff. Many (most?) of the details of my life are not relevant to doing God's will in that sense. I can be humble whether I'm a janitor or rocket scientist. I can love my neighbors whether I'm in North America or China. I can love God whether I'm a punter or a linebacker. That's what I mean. I don't doubt that in some rare instances God may have a very specific plan for people, but I doubt that is the general rule.

I disagree. I think he has a plan for all of us, however small it may seem. I think the direction is subtle nudges and things He places on our hearts. If we are not in tune to it we miss it. I know God directed my move to Brighton next door to a minister and his family to bring me back to church. It probably seems minor to you - but I believe there was a Godly purpose in everything we do.

My perspective is this: if you had moved somewhere else, God could (would) have used an infinite number of other way to nudge you back to church. What would that say about God if he chose not to nudge you just because you chose to move somewhere else?

I believe that God has a plan but that, in general, that plan is in a different plane than many of the morally-neutral details of our lives.

I don't believe I should live my life sniffing the wind trying to be hyper-sensitive to subtle nudges lest I get one of them wrong. If there is something that God emphatically wants me to know or do, I believe it will be clearly revealed in scripture or by some other method and not via vague hints.

That is not to say that I believe there never any subtle hints and nudges...

I hardly spend my life sniffing the wind - I just think God directs my life on a daily basis.

I didn't intend to imply that you spend all of your time sniffing the wind...just that it seems to me to be the logical conclusion of the idea God has a will for all of the minute details of my life and, therefore, I need to somehow figure out all of these little wills to avoid acting against God's will.

I also think that God directs my life on a daily basis in the sense that he directs me to love my neighbor, turn the other cheek, serve the least of these, follow the example of Jesus, love mercy, etc. My opinion is that, in most cases at least, he isn't too concerned about the mundane details as long as they are consistent with principles like those I just listed.

Of course in the Bible we see plenty of examples of God calling people for specific purposes...but the call was not subtle and I don't believe that circumstance is the rule for the general population.

Maybe you could give me some more examples about how God directs you on a daily basis (today for example) in a way that is significantly different from what I'm describing...

Well, today I woke up. God has given me another day to live and praise him. I turned on the water and it runs freely out of the faucet and am reminded of all the wonderful things God gives to me and I thank him. Daily God gives me the wisdom and strength to do his will. I think we all need daily guidance to do the right thing. For instance, when the store clerk makes a mistake in my favor and it is tempting to keep the extra couple dollars or whatever, but there is that nudge that says it's wrong and I should do the right thing even though it's only a couple dollars and who would know. Listening to the voice when I hear that someone is in need and that I could help. I think those are nudges from God. It might not be something "big" everyday, but I believe there is guidance everyday to do his will. Whether I listen and obey is ultimately up to me. I believe He is concerned about our mundane lives or he wouldn't have sent his son as a sacrifice for our sins.

I think we're talking about different things. I agree with what you wrote and think that God is concerned about such details because they have a moral dimension...whether or not to be honest at the store, whether or not to help someone in need, etc. In my view, it's actually not the mundane details that God cares about, though, but how you act and react in whatever situation you are in...God cares how you react to the store clerk, not whether you shop at Target or Wal-Mart, not whether you build rockets for a living or push a broom, not whether you play punter or linebacker. These details have no intrinsic moral dimension. Sometimes people get hung up on figuring out God's will in their lives..."does he want me to be a nurse or a school teacher?", for example. I think God wants me to live a life of holiness, love, compassion, and mercy...regardless of whether I'm a nurse or teacher.

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