There's No Justifying Disobedience

"'I know that you can do all things; no plans of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.'" Job 42:2-3 NIV

I was reading a case study this morning for one of my counseling courses. In it the client talked about how after 20 years at his job, he feels dissatisfied and isn't sure what his purpose is. It got me thinking. 20 years is a really long time to do something you aren't purposed to do.
      We need to let God lead us to the job, school, or other roles (and relationships) He wants us in. We spend so much time living out the responsibilities in these roles and going through the motions of our daily schedules in them. If it's not from Him then we're not living out our purpose. That's a lot of time wasted that could have been used to advance His kingdom.
      Yes, you can still accomplish things for Him in places He hasn't called you to, but it will never be as much (or have as much impact) as you could've accomplished for Him had you followed His plan. Plus, you still have to account for your disobedience. Doing good for Him where He hasn't called you doesn't cancel that out. We tend to think that if we go where we want and choose to act outside His will, it will be okay, or a fair trade/compromise so long as we still present the Gospel. It's not. God doesn't compromise.
       No matter how many ways you try to justify what you've done, you can never justify the fact that you didn't listen to Him. You disobeyed Him because you didn't trust Him. You thought your knowledge (and authority) of the matter was better than God's. You may not have said it or consciously thought it, but that's what your actions translated to.
      From Job 38-41, God treats Job's life on His authority, knowledge, and power. I suggest you read about how He sets Job straight. It's very humbling. 
      It finally clicks and Job gives the response in the verses quoted above.
      We go against God's plan not understanding the full gravity of what we are doing. After God puts things into perspective, however, we can see that when we choose what we think is best rather than going with what God is calling us to, we are undermining and doubting God.
      We think we know a better, faster, and more efficient way, but we forget that He is the author of those standards. No one can match Him. Everything that He has planned will come into fruition so we shouldn't even waste time weighing the options or outcomes if God has called us to a specific place or task.
      The problem is we are trying to foresee and understand things too wonderful for us to even grasp. We need to let God's word be the final word because the longer we meditate on it (in terms of whether we should follow it or not), the more likely it is that we will disobey Him and go with what we think is best. We will make uninformed decisions rather than following the One with all the knowledge and information.
      The decisions you make today impact your eternity. Decide to trust and obey Him; it's the most secure decision you could ever make.