.JPG)
To "Be" GOD's Will
We speak of what we like to do for fun and what sorts of things we like to do for entertainment. Understandable. Before I knew Christ and immediately after being born from above I used to enjoy movies and certain television shows. But consider...Whose are we? To Whom do we belong? I have been learning this very recently myself. In discussing a particular activity and attempting to ascertain whether such is "okay" or "not okay" for a Christian to do, we miss the whole point. For some time I myself was caught up in the rational arguments presented, much of the time under the guise of theological and/or Biblical contention.
For example, "Well, there is nothing overtly wicked about it (e.g. nudity in a movie, getting drunk, etc.), so I can see no Biblical reason to refrain from the activity." Seems like a reasonable argument. But oh how it misses the wonderful simplicity of being a son or daughter of God, a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
A conversation I had with a friend involved the issue of Christians gambling. One man I knew said that just as some people set aside in their budget a certain amount of money for entertainment purposes, so he did; and his entertainment was to play cards with friends and bet (with the understanding that he would not outspend his allotted entertainment money). Sounds innocent enough.
But it misses one of the great freedoms and responsibilities of discipleship--namely that as a wholly devoted follower of the Son of God I am a living sacrifice. This means that I do nothing without the sovereign purpose of God for the absolute glory of God. Oswald Chambers says that as a child of God who is born again, you do not just do the will of God, "you are the will of God." And your freewill choices will be the foreordained decrees of God unless the Holy Spirit gives you a check, which you must heed immediately. Just think, as I abide in Christ, He perfects the Father's will in and through me in every situation and He engineers my every circumstance. But this cannot be the case if I would like to claim any particular entertainment or activity as my own, for which I have a natural inclination, and thus should be allowed to enjoy from time to time as long as there is "no Biblical injunction to the contrary."
"What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1Cor. 6:19-20).
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
It is not so much an issue of right or wrong. A Christian is not an automaton who is programmed with "convictions" in order to maintain a particular rule. The issue is the underlying purpose and passion of the heart of Christ as He walked this earth--His Father's will. "For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7). As a disciple of Christ I can consecrate nothing to God but my right to myself. This alone will He receive that He might have His way in me. A living sacrifice indeed, "Be ye therfore followers of God, as dear children: and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" (Eph. 5:1-2).
My Lord Jesus, may it truly be said of every one of us as You look upon us, "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied..." (Isa. 53:11).
For example, "Well, there is nothing overtly wicked about it (e.g. nudity in a movie, getting drunk, etc.), so I can see no Biblical reason to refrain from the activity." Seems like a reasonable argument. But oh how it misses the wonderful simplicity of being a son or daughter of God, a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
A conversation I had with a friend involved the issue of Christians gambling. One man I knew said that just as some people set aside in their budget a certain amount of money for entertainment purposes, so he did; and his entertainment was to play cards with friends and bet (with the understanding that he would not outspend his allotted entertainment money). Sounds innocent enough.
But it misses one of the great freedoms and responsibilities of discipleship--namely that as a wholly devoted follower of the Son of God I am a living sacrifice. This means that I do nothing without the sovereign purpose of God for the absolute glory of God. Oswald Chambers says that as a child of God who is born again, you do not just do the will of God, "you are the will of God." And your freewill choices will be the foreordained decrees of God unless the Holy Spirit gives you a check, which you must heed immediately. Just think, as I abide in Christ, He perfects the Father's will in and through me in every situation and He engineers my every circumstance. But this cannot be the case if I would like to claim any particular entertainment or activity as my own, for which I have a natural inclination, and thus should be allowed to enjoy from time to time as long as there is "no Biblical injunction to the contrary."
"What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1Cor. 6:19-20).
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
It is not so much an issue of right or wrong. A Christian is not an automaton who is programmed with "convictions" in order to maintain a particular rule. The issue is the underlying purpose and passion of the heart of Christ as He walked this earth--His Father's will. "For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7). As a disciple of Christ I can consecrate nothing to God but my right to myself. This alone will He receive that He might have His way in me. A living sacrifice indeed, "Be ye therfore followers of God, as dear children: and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" (Eph. 5:1-2).
My Lord Jesus, may it truly be said of every one of us as You look upon us, "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied..." (Isa. 53:11).
posted by Bryan | 10:19 PM
1 Comments:
You are a good writer. I agree with most of what you are saying, but I would also add that Jesus was relatable. We have to walk a delicate balance between a true devotion to Christ that allows us to walk up to any person on the street and reach them and also we have to make sure that we do not exhibit an extreme piety that is offputting and potentially damaging to our walk in the Lord. When dealing with the grimy stuff out here in the secular culture, we have to constantly have our "God-filters" on to make sure that we are not allowing garbage into our systems, but again we cannot just avoid everything and sit inside all day with the curtains drawn reading the bible all day. It is all about balance. God bless, and please continue writing your blog, it is really good. Most of the blogs I encounter (mine included) are not written this good.
Post a Comment
<< Home