Here we are at Chapter 4 of 'Just Do Something...' by Kevin DeYoung, and there's alot in this chapter. The chapter opens with quite a strong view of how we approach the will of God concerning 'non-moral' issues such as where to go to school, where to live, what career to pursue etc. . .
I think Kevin is absolutely right when he states that "these are not the most important issues in God's book. The most important issues for God are moral purity, theological fidelity, compassion, joy, our witness, faithfulness, hospitality, love, worship and faith. . .
. . .The problem is that we tend to focus most of our attention on everything else. We obsess over the things God has not mentioned and may never mention, while, by contrast, we spend little time on all the things God has already revealed to us in the Bible" (pg44-45).
When we approach the topic of God's Will our primary thoughts do tend to run toward who to marry, jobs, where to live etc... Yet scripture has revealed so many areas in which it says 'This is the will of God...' and then tells us that it is our sanctification, being Spirit-filled, our submission etc (i'd encourage a word study on this).
2nd Kevin asks if we have a 'sneaky God' who has a will for our lives yet sneakily hides it from us even though He holds us accountable to walk in it. As Kevin says there are many things that God does not reveal to us, 'But He is not trying to confuse us or hide truth.'
Kevin's 3rd point is that we tend to have a preoccupation with the future and treat 'God's will' much like many people treat horoscopes. In fact on this issue Kevin goes on to say that "Our fascination with the will of God often betrays our lack of trust in God's promises and provision."
I had to sit and think alot about this, but i think Kevin is right; we want to know in advance, that the future is going to be alright because we aren't comfortable with simply trusting God's sovereignty. "Not willing to take Him at His word that He will be with us; we want Him to show us the end from the beginning and prove to us that He can be trusted."
Next Kevin argues that we often use God's will as an excuse to "avoid personal responsibility, accountability, and initiative." At the beginning of this section on page 48 he gives an illustration, one that i myself have heard a pastor using to his flock before moving on. We tend to shift the responsibility over to God rather than face any uncomfort that may result of it. What do you think about this?
Finally Kevin says that the 'conventional approach enslaves us in the chains of hopeless subjectives. . . . . .we never take risks because we never feel peace about them. Or we second guess our decisions because we feel uneasy about them.'
Kevin argues that although Christ died to give us freedom from the law (Galatians 5:1) we have a tendency to turn the will of God into another law.
On page 45 Kevin mentions 1 Corinthians 10:31. Those who know me know that this verse has featured alot in my life, and i guess in drawing to a close of my thoughts over this chapter i'm drawn back to it. "Whether you eat or whether you drink, do everything to the glory of God." My guess is that if we carried that into our decision making it would help alot. It would quickly sift out sinful options, leaving us free to decide in which area, with whom and how to glorify God in every aspect of life.
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Your Turn
Please share your thoughts on the issues raised in this chapter. It has been a long week for me & to be honest i feel that i didn't get the time at this that it/you deserve, for this i apologise. But i look forward to reading your views on it.
Next Week
Next week we'll turn to chapter '5 A Better Way' (i'm looking forward to this chapter).
Friday, July 10, 2009
Just Do Something chapter 4
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Random Quotes - Colin Morris
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
When's Your Next Test?
What is man, that You (God) make so much of him,
and that You set your heart on him,
visit him every morning
and test him every moment?
For most of us the build up to any test means hard study, alot of stress and a trip to the chemist for some calms. But for many of us there aren't really that many tests after we finish our education; & i'm pretty sure that the last test i had was my driving test at the age of 17.
So to read in Job that the God of all knowledge, the creator & sustainer of life, Holy God is testing me every moment is quite something. It could put alot of stress on me, i do know that it means i should study a whole lot more to show myself approved, as Paul wrote to Timothy.
I know that it's not a test unto salvation, Jesus completed that when He cried 'it is finished' upon the cross.
I actually think it's helpful to understand that the next moment we live is a test from God. We can prepare our minds & hearts with this understanding and hope to live our next moment in grace, faith & Christ-likeness.
Philip Bliss
On this day in history in 1838 the American hymn writer and gospel singer Philip Bliss was born.
Mars Hill has the story:
HT:Justin Taylor
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
A Hard Question
Simon Thompson asked me a question yesterday that is striking in it's seriousness, and as hard as a sledge hammer to the face. And, i thought i'd pass it on here since it is such a great question in self examination.
"Do you ever wonder why Sinclair Ferguson et al are so far ahead of us?
Aside from gifting, why such a huge chasm?
Add in the names of men & women of God whom you respect as great examples in the Christian faith and ask this question. I think it's a hard answer to swallow!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Random Quotes - Sinclair Ferguson
“You cannot open the pages of the New testament without realizing that one of the things that makes it so ‘new’, in every way, is that here men and women call God ‘Father’. This conviction, that we can speak to the Maker of the universe in such intimate terms, lies at the heart of the Christian faith. Through Christ, says Paul, we have ‘access to the Father’ (Eph 2:18).”
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Random Quote - Tim Keller
“The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome… religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.”
Friday, July 03, 2009
Just Do Something - Chapter Three
Finally, after our week off we get back to our discussion of 'Just Do Something. . .' by Kevin Deyoung. This week we looked at chapter 3 'Directionally Challenged'.
Kevin gives us 5 reasons why we may find ourselves desperate to know God's will for our lives:
1. We want to please God
2. Some of us are timid
3. We want perfect fulfillment
4. We have too many choices
5. We are cowards
To be honest i see many aspects from all these in my own life: I want to know God's will because i want to please Him, I am timid, i want fulfillment, i am a coward & there are too many choices.
I left the 'choices' one to the last because this is the section i struggled with the most, why? Because i like choice!
I like variety & in total honesty, when i read in the Bible of the Israelites dandering around the wilderness with only one choice of food; mana, I feel sorry for them, i'd have been grumbling too.
Variety is Good, Variety is Bad
In the section about too many choices, Kevin writes "But now few of us can imagine voluntarily limiting our independence and curtailing our options for something as antiquated as duty." He writes this in a section dealing with how, a century ago people lived where they were born, worked the farm, & married one of a dozen eligible young people in town etc.
Personally i thank God for today's travel, & options, as i married a girl from Dublin, 100 miles away from where i grew up. If i'd married out of 'family duty' i'd have picked a girl from a long-standing family history of protestant-loyalism, not the beautiful Irish rose who, though, now a Christian, grew up roman catholic.
And i work, not as a glass-fibre moulder (my dads career), but in printing the Gospel. This is something i'm so thankful to be a part of, and praise God not just for the job, but for the transport which makes it possible for me to commute to work each day. I also like the fact that there are other churches to go to rather than the one i grew up in which had very little (if any) Bible teaching etc.
I can see the essence of what Kevin means here, and find that even with what i've already said, i have to agree with him. Having so many choices makes it very hard to choose just one; for example having left my family church when i became a Christian i've struggled to pick another out of the vast availability there are in N.Ireland. I have sinned in this area & it has been somewhat crippling to my walk with Christ.
In many areas instead of gagging on familiarity (as Israel did with mana), we gag on endless streams of opportunity, so i guess what i'm trying to say is that surely we need to find a balance. Enjoy the fact that there's variety, but make an informed decision & stick with it.
I guess this variety of choice is why so many date around, playing the field, trying to find 'the one' rather than simply committing to a relationship with someone & making them the one! It is why porn is such a blight on christian men as they store up a virtual harem of women. It can be why we stay at home watching tv rather than going out to reach the lost, because we can't decide where to go or what approach to take. "We" as Kevin says "are always pondering what could be better or what might be nicer about something or someone new."
Thrilling
In closing my thoughts over this chapter i'd simply like to quote a section that i found absolutely thrilling:
"We should start looking to God - His character and His promises - and thereby have confidence to take risks for His name's sake.
God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He has planned out and works out every detail of our lives - the joyous days and the difficult - all for our good (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Because we have confidence in God's will of decree, we can radically commit ourselves to His will of desire, withought fretting over a hidden will of direction."
A magnificent truth to pray about & beat into our lives.
Your Turn
How did you get on with this chapter, what did you find thrilling, challenging or difficult etc? what would you say about chapter 3?
*Undiluted Christianity*
Next Week
Next week we'll turn to chapter 4 'Our Magic 8-Ball God'.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Another Testimony of God's Grace Through Literature in UK
Heather Mercer kindly emailed me about another work of God in N.Ireland through Christian Literature printed at Every Home Crusade:
Gary
I have another encouragement from here in NI which you may wish to share on your blog.
On Friday evening at the Youth Barbecue a lady came over to speak to me. She told me that two weeks previous her friend found her 13 year old son crying bitterly in the bathroom. When she asked him what was wrong he told her that he wanted to be saved but didn't know how. His mother got a copy of our Gospel of John, went through the "Seven Steps" with him and he trusted Jesus as his Saviour.
Kind regards
Heather
Pray for Those who Receive the Gospel
My mate John Law posted the above picture on Facebook, it's from a recent missions trip. After i commented on it he replied with the following, which i thought i'd pass on here (with his permission).
"We gave a Gospel to the sleeping man (and 3 of his friends) the day before this photo was taken. The man who is holding the 'John's Gospel' can't read, so please pray someone will be able to read it to him and he's saved."
Now there's a quick prayer request for you; why not take a moment. . .
