The Next Thing We Know To Do (Mike Glenn)

Mike Glenn

Most of us know we need to live healthier lives. We know we need to watch our diets and work out more than we do. 

We just don’t do it. 

Most of us know three things we could do that would improve our jobs. It’s as simple as answering our email faster than we do or time blocking our schedules. 

We just don’t do it. 

If you’re married, you know three things you could do right now and make your marriage better. It could be as simple as being more helpful around the house to making sure you’re always attentive in conversations with your spouse. 

We just don’t do it. 

Rarely do we need more information. Most of the time, all of us know what we should do next in any area of our lives. 

We just don’t do it. 

This is what bothers me when people tell me they wish they knew God’s will for their lives. They seem to think there will be a royal herald who will ride up to their house and unroll a long scroll, and loudly declare, “Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” The herald would then continue by listing out the four or five things we are commanded to do that day. 

But then again, most of us already know three things Jesus wants us to do. It may be as easy as checking on the next door neighbor who’s just been laid off. It could be volunteering to work at the homeless shelter or coach a little league team. There are a million opportunities right in front of us every day but either we don’t recognize them (because we aren’t looking for them), or we don’t think they’re worth doing. After all, if it’s God’s will for our lives, doesn’t it make sense that it would be huge?

Not really. After all, it was Jesus who said if we give a glass of water to someone who’s thirsty, we’ve given the water to him. Jesus encourages small acts of grace, mercy and love. 

And Jesus always starts small with His disciples. When the disciples were with Him, Jesus would send them off to do ministry for a few days and then, they would come back to Jesus for more training and teaching. Only after the ascension did Jesus send the disciples out for the rest of their lives. 

In the parable of the talents, each servant was given a sum that matched their abilities. As you read the story, it’s not hard to see that first, the master had traveled before and second, the other times the master had traveled the servant with five talents had two the last time and the one with two had one last time and the one with one was being trusted for the first time. Jesus always starts small and then builds. 

And Jesus will deal the same way with you and me. He’ll start small and as we prove faithful, He’ll trust us with more. The irony of this truth is following Jesus gets harder as we grow as disciples. Good work is always rewarded with more work. 

So, do you want Jesus to trust you with more? Then simply do the next thing you know to do. After you do that, Jesus will tell you what to do next. Don’t expect Jesus to tell you the second thing He wants you to do until you do the first thing He’s told you to do. 

Every one one of us knows what we should do next. Do that. Imagine how much better the world would be if thousands of people – even millions of people – simply did the next thing they knew to do. Countless numbers of good deeds would be done. That alone would be world changing. 

So, look around. What needs to be done right in front of you? Do that. Then, Jesus will tell you want to do next.