What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.

This is just a joke from a silly, animated movie, but can be a good reminder to S.M.I.L.E.

As a Christian of any age and any stage of life, there are simple principles in the Bible we can remember when we don’t know what else to do. The Bible instructs us first of all to – (S)eek God. In James 1:5 the Bible says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him as of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him.” This verse tells us when we need wisdom to know what to do, all we have to do is ask God. If we have trusted Christ as our Saviour, God listens and wants to answer our prayers. He has told he will give us wisdom if we will simply ask. First thing first, seek God and ask Him for wisdom. 

The second thing we learn from SMILE is to – (M)ind our manners. We learn in I Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Basic good manners, that we already know to be right, can start to be affected when we listen to evil communication. What are we listening to?  When we are at a loss, it is so easy to turn to the wrong information. Just because it sounds good doesn’t mean it’s biblical. Evil communications could include worldly music, advice that doesn’t align with the Bible, cursing and God’s name being taken in vain by those around us, or people trying to get us to question what God’s Word says. It’s imperative that we mind our manners to ensure our communications are not corrupting. 

Thirdly, when we remember to SMILE we can – (I)implement what we already know to be right. This includes reading our Bible everyday, praying without ceasing, God honoring music, and soul-winning just to name a few. It is very easy to accidentally schedule God out of our lives with the everyday. As a child of God, it is our responsibility to purposely schedule in the things we already know the Bible has instructed us to do. Big decisions are usually made in the everyday little choices. Instead of waiting for God to impart some great wisdom to handle a particular situation, God expects us to continue with the basic commandments He’s already given us. Implementing what we already know God wants us to do can bring great peace when we don’t know what else to do. 

The fourth principle of SMILE is to – (L)ove the Lord with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might according to Deuteronomy 6:5. How do you love the Lord? I’m glad you asked, I would love to tell you! John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments” What are His commandments? You can start with the most famous ten found in Exodus 20 that God gave directly to Moses. The Bible is full of commandments for us to live by. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to have an entire book to live by. Oh, but how gracious is our God to communicate exactly what He wants from us! Have you ever heard communication is key? I know I have. So tell the Lord, out loud, that you love Him everyday. Then wait to see all the ways He shows you He loves you too.

Saving the best for last, when we SMILE we are reminded to – (E)dify one another. In Ephesians 4:29 we hear exactly why that’s so important. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” So not only should we not listen to evil communication, we shouldn’t be letting corrupt communication come out of our mouths either. That’s a bonus lesson for free. So how do we edify one another? According to the Google dictionary, it means providing moral or intellectual instruction. When we ourselves don’t know what to do, one of the best ways to learn is to teach others. In college I had an entire teaching class that was nothing but the students teaching lessons. So often, we learn by doing. If you have ever had to teach on a particular subject, you know how much research goes into any lesson. Same thing for Biblical lessons. The more study and research we can do to help others will also reveal more of God to us. 

Whenever we don’t know what to do, we can remember to S.M.I.L.E.

S – Seek God

M – Mind your manners

I – Implement what we already know

L – Love the Lord

E – Edify one another