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May 19, 2007

He had FUN!

I was looking at a magazine a while back and came across an ad that just stopped me right there. I would say it stopped me cold, but it was a warm tropical scene, a beautiful beach with sugar-like sand and transparent blue water. Anchored off the beach was a sailboat — that got my attention right there — and it was a picture that I think must be something like heaven.

You need to understand the immensity of that statement for a Colorado mountain boy. It’s huge. The place certainly sounds like heaven to me, though if I work at it, I can convince myself that it really isn’t.

WE NEED TO PLAY

There is in all of us, I think, a desire to relax, to enjoy ourselves, to just play now and then. It’s a healthy desire, one God designed into us. When we lose it, we have lost something very important about ourselves. God, it seems from looking at the world He created, has a great capacity for enjoyment. Even in Genesis, at the creation account, God pronounced things good, and then very good. He created a world of breathtaking beauty and infinite variety. And reading the Old Testament prophets, we see in God a depth of passion and love that is astonishing. So, created in his image, it is not surprising that we reflect that capacity for pleasure.

Contrary to the impression we might get from observing some “Christians,” it is not a sin to enjoy ourselves. In fact, it might be a sin to not enjoy ourselves, when the source of our pleasure is the God who loves us and redeemed us.

However….

When pleasure and enjoyment become the focus of our lives, something is badly out of order, and we are in trouble. We have lost our true focus, our reason for living, and we are in a dangerous place. A life that focuses on pleasure is guaranteed to be an empty life, with a tragic ending.

AN EXERCISE IN PERSPECTIVE

It is a useful exercise, I think, for us to occasionally read an obituary or two. Obituaries are what other people think of the life of someone who is no longer here. Reading them can be pretty sobering, and sometimes downright depressing. People live for a longer or a shorter time and go through many hard places. When we read their obituaries, we are struck that many leave nothing of significance behind. Many would say that their life was wasted. People who live for pleasure should consider the obituary: “John died yesterday. He lived 43 years, and left a wife and three children. He had fun.” Depressing, isn’t it? Looking at these, we can better understand Aristotle, who said “the masses choose the life of grazing animals.”

A WARRIOR PEOPLE

We sometimes lose sight of the fact that God calls us to a life of service to the King, and that we are together with him engaged in a war to the death. We are called to be warriors, people with a mission and a focus that drives our lives. In the Bible, God is often called the Lord of Hosts. In Hebrew it is “Adonai tzva’ot.” It doesn’t mean that he is simply the boss of a bunch of people. The word has the concept of an army: God is the leader of a great army, disciplined and ready to do battle in his name and with his power.

Soldiers are focused, they are disciplined and mission-oriented, but soldiers do not live lives devoid of pleasure. They enjoy many things, just like everyone else. However, there are two constants in their lives: conflict and change. They live and breathe their mission. If they are not in direct conflict with the enemy, they are training for the time when they will be. And they go anywhere and do anything the mission requires.

REEVALUATION

Periodically, I have had occasion to examine the reason for my life, and check my priorities. There was a time when I was “downsized,” and went through the unpleasant process of searching for employment. As I did that, I observed my responses to an array of job prospects, in different locations, for varying amounts of money. I was a little surprised at what I saw.

After that process, I was thoroughly confused. In the end, I didn’t have a clue what my “perfect job” might look like. So in the end, it came down to this: “God, I am your servant. Send me where you will, and do with me what you will, and I will serve you.” And this is where it should have been in the beginning, and where I actually thought it was, until it was tested.

I spent the first couple decades of my adult life in the military, and moved extensively. I spent years on alert, ready to go anywhere on a four-hour notice. And I enjoyed it. I had a great time.

Then I left the military, and sought a place to settle down, earn a living and serve God quietly for the next portion of my life. It didn’t happen. To my surprise, I have moved as often since leaving the military as I did in the military. And I found that disturbing. I wanted to settle down, put down roots, and enjoy my “advancing years.”

NO RETIREMENT

However, I lost site of the fact that I am still in God’s “military” and I am still very much on active duty. Someone asked a missionary once what sort of retirement plan the organization offered. “A graveyard next to the mission station,” he replied. There is no retirement from active duty with God until He takes us home to rest in his presence. And it is there, ironically, that we shall have no need of rest.

We resist change, especially as we get older. We like the comfort of familiar surroundings, the security of predictability. But we forget that stability in life, in employment, in our home, is an illusion. We have only the appearance of stability in these things. There is true stability only in God, not in things or jobs or anything else in the world. Our jobs, as many have discovered in recent years, can vanish in a moment. Our homes can become ashes in minutes. There is security only in God.

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

Despite this, people repeatedly put their faith in the world system, ignoring God, disobeying God, and living lives far below what God has prepared for them. In fact, many people who call themselves Christians are de facto atheists, claiming to belong to God, but living as though there were no God.

Most people will say, in some form, that they “have a good relationship with God.” Someone has said that a good response to that statement might be, “Perhaps, but what standard do you use to know if God has a good relationship with you?” Many of us are fooling ourselves, and are in for a major shock.

I urge you to consider your life, and your relationship with God. What are you living for? Do you truly believe that there is only one God, and that He is the God of the Bible? Does your life show it? Is knowing and serving this God the most important thing in your life? If not, you aren’t seeing things clearly.

Posted by at 08:52 AM | Comments (1)


discussion forum study guides ministry news reviews church history new testament theology sermons online quizzes e-texts online internet resources theoweb newsletter quodlibet journal about theoweb foutz.net	« March 2007 \| Main \| June 2007 » May 19, 2007 He had FUN! I was looking at a magazine a while back and came across an ad that just stopped me right there. I would say it stopped me cold, but it was a warm tropical scene, a beautiful beach with sugar-like sand and transparent blue water. Anchored off the beach was a sailboat — that got my attention right there — and it was a picture that I think must be something like heaven. You need to understand the immensity of that statement for a Colorado mountain boy. It’s huge. The place certainly sounds like heaven to me, though if I work at it, I can convince myself that it really isn’t. WE NEED TO PLAY There is in all of us, I think, a desire to relax, to enjoy ourselves, to just play now and then. It’s a healthy desire, one God designed into us. When we lose it, we have lost something very important about ourselves. God, it seems from looking at the world He created, has a great capacity for enjoyment. Even in Genesis, at the creation account, God pronounced things good, and then very good. He created a world of breathtaking beauty and infinite variety. And reading the Old Testament prophets, we see in God a depth of passion and love that is astonishing. So, created in his image, it is not surprising that we reflect that capacity for pleasure. Contrary to the impression we might get from observing some “Christians,” it is not a sin to enjoy ourselves. In fact, it might be a sin to not enjoy ourselves, when the source of our pleasure is the God who loves us and redeemed us. However…. When pleasure and enjoyment become the focus of our lives, something is badly out of order, and we are in trouble. We have lost our true focus, our reason for living, and we are in a dangerous place. A life that focuses on pleasure is guaranteed to be an empty life, with a tragic ending. AN EXERCISE IN PERSPECTIVE It is a useful exercise, I think, for us to occasionally read an obituary or two. Obituaries are what other people think of the life of someone who is no longer here. Reading them can be pretty sobering, and sometimes downright depressing. People live for a longer or a shorter time and go through many hard places. When we read their obituaries, we are struck that many leave nothing of significance behind. Many would say that their life was wasted. People who live for pleasure should consider the obituary: “John died yesterday. He lived 43 years, and left a wife and three children. He had fun.” Depressing, isn’t it? Looking at these, we can better understand Aristotle, who said “the masses choose the life of grazing animals.” A WARRIOR PEOPLE We sometimes lose sight of the fact that God calls us to a life of service to the King, and that we are together with him engaged in a war to the death. We are called to be warriors, people with a mission and a focus that drives our lives. In the Bible, God is often called the Lord of Hosts. In Hebrew it is “Adonai tzva’ot.” It doesn’t mean that he is simply the boss of a bunch of people. The word has the concept of an army: God is the leader of a great army, disciplined and ready to do battle in his name and with his power. Soldiers are focused, they are disciplined and mission-oriented, but soldiers do not live lives devoid of pleasure. They enjoy many things, just like everyone else. However, there are two constants in their lives: conflict and change. They live and breathe their mission. If they are not in direct conflict with the enemy, they are training for the time when they will be. And they go anywhere and do anything the mission requires. REEVALUATION Periodically, I have had occasion to examine the reason for my life, and check my priorities. There was a time when I was “downsized,” and went through the unpleasant process of searching for employment. As I did that, I observed my responses to an array of job prospects, in different locations, for varying amounts of money. I was a little surprised at what I saw. After that process, I was thoroughly confused. In the end, I didn’t have a clue what my “perfect job” might look like. So in the end, it came down to this: “God, I am your servant. Send me where you will, and do with me what you will, and I will serve you.” And this is where it should have been in the beginning, and where I actually thought it was, until it was tested. I spent the first couple decades of my adult life in the military, and moved extensively. I spent years on alert, ready to go anywhere on a four-hour notice. And I enjoyed it. I had a great time. Then I left the military, and sought a place to settle down, earn a living and serve God quietly for the next portion of my life. It didn’t happen. To my surprise, I have moved as often since leaving the military as I did in the military. And I found that disturbing. I wanted to settle down, put down roots, and enjoy my “advancing years.” NO RETIREMENT However, I lost site of the fact that I am still in God’s “military” and I am still very much on active duty. Someone asked a missionary once what sort of retirement plan the organization offered. “A graveyard next to the mission station,” he replied. There is no retirement from active duty with God until He takes us home to rest in his presence. And it is there, ironically, that we shall have no need of rest. We resist change, especially as we get older. We like the comfort of familiar surroundings, the security of predictability. But we forget that stability in life, in employment, in our home, is an illusion. We have only the appearance of stability in these things. There is true stability only in God, not in things or jobs or anything else in the world. Our jobs, as many have discovered in recent years, can vanish in a moment. Our homes can become ashes in minutes. There is security only in God. A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Despite this, people repeatedly put their faith in the world system, ignoring God, disobeying God, and living lives far below what God has prepared for them. In fact, many people who call themselves Christians are de facto atheists, claiming to belong to God, but living as though there were no God. Most people will say, in some form, that they “have a good relationship with God.” Someone has said that a good response to that statement might be, “Perhaps, but what standard do you use to know if God has a good relationship with you?” Many of us are fooling ourselves, and are in for a major shock. I urge you to consider your life, and your relationship with God. What are you living for? Do you truly believe that there is only one God, and that He is the God of the Bible? Does your life show it? Is knowing and serving this God the most important thing in your life? If not, you aren’t seeing things clearly. Posted by at 08:52 AM \| Comments (1)
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