The rat race should be only for rats ............. Parables 725

July 24, 2001

When was the last time you heard someone (more than twenty) or said yourself, “I am bored”? Not many people complain that they haven’t enough to do. The pace of life accelerates at alarming rates. Why are we going so fast? Why is our day never quite long enough to check off everything on our to-do lists?

Maybe we have too many options. Our modern society offers a plethora of choices. Yesterday I stood in a copy shop amazed at the range of papers, then went to an office supply store and was further amazed at the number and types of gel pens. The proliferation does not stop at goods and services. We have more job descriptions and more activity opportunities than ever before in history.

Besides the options, human beings have a seldom-satisfied hunger for both fulfillment and significance. For some reason, the search never starts internally at an intrinsic level. Instead, the measurements for fulfilment start with externals. People do not feel important unless they achieve mightily and own twice as much.

Whatever drives us, we often crave just a little rest. We complain that we are too busy and want to slow down yet how many actually choose a slower lifestyle? We crave the weekends but in our part of the world, Saturday and Sunday are much like any other day. People work, stores are open. Some still take Sundays off and a few go to church or spend time with family, but their metronome swings just as fast. Our worship often is as filled with action as our recreation.

Occasionally, I meet people who insist on a literal, no-work Sabbath day. For them, Sunday means church, no work, no games, no play, no sports, no travel. Meals are prepared the day before and everyone has a nap in the afternoon. Most Christians may find the ‘do nothing’ part appealing but usually consider such abstinence too radical. They say it’s a throwback from a dead era. Yet many Christians I know yearn to slow down, to get off the merry-go-round at least one day a week.

We miss and long for what God calls Sabbath rest. It began “in the beginning” when God created and then rested. He was not tired but took time to stop working, look at His work and say, “It is good.” He also set a pattern for us. He said we ought to work six days and rest on seventh as He did. We may have lots of energy or really need a physical rest, but that is not all we need.

For one thing, looking back and examining our activities is also important. At first, we might avoid this backward look. We are critical of ourselves, maybe unfairly. We might not be able to pronounce ‘good’ upon our week. Nevertheless, by examining what we have done, we are better able to evaluate our life and think of ways to improve. As we do that, we more readily ask for God’s help and become more prepared to move into the next week. We also gain a certain sense of satisfaction; last week may not have gone well but at least we can label why and put some handles on it, feeling satisfied with our evaluation.

We have heard the “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The Bible agrees. God tells us that only fools hurl headlong into their plans: “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.”

Scripture also says “there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Folly comes easy, maybe as easy as the sense that “my whole week was a waste.” Our loving God gave us a day of rest to help us change that.

Lord, You alone have insight into the future. Your wisdom sees what is wise and what is foolish. Unless we, your people, slow down and take time to examine our lives in the light of Your Word, we will waste our days. Since You promise rewards for those who commit their way and activities to You, help us to take the time to examine what we are doing. Guide us on the right track so we do more than run around it as fast as we can.

Options and discovering the will of God .............. Parables 292

November 5, 1991

Those ice cream places with umpteen dozen flavors fluster me to no end. I’d like a scoop of each; however, that would make me round, so making a selection is the only alternative. “Peaches ‘n Cream” looks good, but so does “Raspberry Delight,” never mind “Lemon Meringue,” or “Milk Chocolate.” Why did they make so many choices?

A book of names is just as perplexing for new parents; or a holiday guide for campers trying to pick a site for next year’s vacation. Dozens of channels perplex TV addicts selecting a viewing favorite. Fat curriculum catalogs frazzle college students trying to pick the most suitable courses. And multitude of products in multitudes of catalogs or multiple stores in multitudes of malls make shoppers dizzy.

The smorgasbord of life can be just as confusing for a person who honestly wants to make choices according to the will of God. Which school do I attend? Which career should I pursue? Who should I marry? Where should I live? What car should I buy? When should I have children? And on it goes. How can we find the will of God anyway? Has He hidden it without giving us any clues to its whereabouts? Or do we throw darts at the assortment?

It is a help to know God’s will has two spheres. The first sphere is His sovereign will. This includes His control over events; history does take the course He has determined. But unless He reveals something through prophecy, we don’t know what these events will be until they happen. Not to worry, we won’t miss His sovereign will; God is powerful and able to do whatever He pleases. His sovereign will is a certainty.

Because of that, our best response to the sovereign aspect of God’s will is acceptance. In other words, we fit ourselves into what happens, trusting that God has our best interest in mind. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Even though it is, for the most part, hidden from us, whatever He has planned He will use for the good of those who belong to Him. We need not fear His sovereign will.

In contrast, the other sphere of God’s will is completely revealed in Scripture. We don’t have to hunt for it or try to figure it out. It involves ethics and morals, choices that are straight-forward: Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Tell the truth. Love others.

Notice this important truth about the MORAL will of God: because we have the freedom to choose, we can “miss” it. To fit into His moral will, we must choose to do (or not do) these actions. In cases where matters are not distinct or it seems we must decide between two good choices rather than one bad and one good one, God calls us to obey in what we know and ask Him for wisdom concerning our options.

But what about those situations where it seems our only option is choosing the lesser of two evils and sin seems unavoidable? Thankfully, God promised this would never happen. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says “... God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle but will with the temptation also provide a way of escape...”

In other words, whatever our situation, we never HAVE to choose sin. There is always a choice, even though life would be easier if it was less like 57 varieties and more like the fast food outlet across the street – where the options are limited – to Chocolate or Strawberry!