Friends,
Have you ever felt powerless in a situation, maybe in most of your life? Ever felt like you have no control over what is happening around you, that you are just bouncing from obligation to obligation?
I was thinking about how much (or little) I let the Bible control my life and my decisions. So then I got to thinking about how many things in our life are controlled by outside influences. I only drive 35 mph (right!?) thru Big Island because that is the speed limit. I (or Annie) is outside by 7:45 because that’s when the bus is coming. I am outside by 3:20 because that’s when the bus is coming. If it’s windy/rainy/etc. and our satellite tv goes out, we just wait…no control over that.
I paid $1.859 for gas the other day because that was the price. When a stoplight is red or I come to a stop sign, I stop. Haven’t done our taxes yet (but I will Annie!), but I won’t be calling the IRS to try to renegotiate a new tax rate. When I park, I try to fit my truck between the white lines.
I could go on, but think about all of these things that you have no control over. They guide your life, and if you want to be a law-abiding citizen, you follow them. What would happen if a speed limit sign said “Whatever” or gas stations charged “What you feel is right?” How about the IRS accepting whatever I pay them, or people parking wherever they want?
Perhaps we have so little control of our life and surroundings that we guard so preciously anything we can control? And sometimes this flows into our moral decisions. We want so badly to be happy, to feel like we have control over something in our lives, that we will sacrifice what we know (or think) to be wrong in order to just be happy or content in our lives, just to keep a little control over our world.
I believe in the Bible. I believe the Word of God is designed in part to be a guidebook upon my life, to direct my words, thoughts, and actions. But do I always let it do that? What if I feel it is taking control over my life? And yet, that is exactly what it should do! Let me ask those of you who profess to be Christians…how much of your life (words, thoughts, deeds) is guided by Holy Scripture? The book of Judges finishes this way, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (21:25 NIV) Could that describe you in some areas of your life? Or, put another way…how much of your life does the Bible control?
But let me go a step further…for those that might read this that do not believe in the Bible as the guiding Word of God…what does guide your life? How do you decide what rules to follow and apply to your life? What is your compass in life? Do you have one, or do you just do as you see fit?
Blessings
Pastor Bryon
#1 by Lee on February 25, 2009 - 4:46 pm
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Bryon,
I have no “compass” per se. I do as I deem best (if you interpret that as “see fit”, so be it) based on the value system that I have; my morals, thoughts, definition of right and wrong, context, and possible outcomes all impact my decisions.
Is it perfectly consistent? No, but I don’t think it needs to be, either.
Is it written down? *laugh* I do have a (formerly) published set of “Lee’s Rules,” but they don’t exactly cover all situations. They get written down when they become complex enough or confusing enough that others can’t understand them. I can provide my first (and favorite) if you’d like. My wife understands them, and so will my offspring.
My compass? I try to do what I think is *right*. Sometimes I’m wrong; sometimes I don’t have all the info required to make the best decision, but I do what I can. If God wanted perfect decisions, he’d either make them himself or give me all the data I need.
I see the Bible as a series of stories; records of events and activities which record what has happened through the eyes of the recorder and what will (may?) happen in the future. It provides examples of the same end goal – do what’s right. I’m not sure I’m happy with the act of turning Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt for glancing the wrong way, and I think Noah should have re-evaluated the wisdom of keeping a pair of termites (and especially roaches) onboard the Ark, but we all make our decisions and go forward. Certainly I’m not using the Bible as my moral GPS, or I would have had to severely discipline several people in my past.
There are times when I believe in “an eye for an eye”; sometimes, I even believe in several eyes for an eye. I like to think that my overriding value is justice (perhaps with a capital “J”) – to do what’s right is to do what is just – to the best of my ability. No book can teach me that, no parent can have all the answers, no judicial or religious system can hold itself forth as the perfect solution – the combination of these things and more help me to determine what I think is just and/or right.
That, Bryon, is how I strive to live my life.
#2 by Pastor Bryon on February 26, 2009 - 1:14 pm
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Thanks for your post, Lee. Very insightful and I appreciate how you have thought things thru for your yourself. Here are a couple of thoughts/questions that come to mind:
How do you define justice, if that is your overriding value? Is it the most amount of good for the most amount of people? Is it the least amount of pain for you or your concerns? Is it whatever maximizes your happiness?
One of the foundational principles (to me) of living a faithful, Christian witness is thinking of others above yourself. I also believe we fall far short of that, and often times it it because we want to maintain some sense of control and/or happiness in our lives.
What do you do if you present your system of values to your offspring, and they mostly or completely reject them? One of the reasons I want my children and the others in our church to value and esteem the Bible as The Word of God and authoritative is because then it hopefully prevents fads and nuances of reasoning of today from becoming the standards by which they try to live tomorrow.
I can’t remember the quote exactly, but I read recently, “That which is tolerated today will become the norm tomorrow.” I understand that times change and every situation is different, but do we risk a sort of spiritual and moral anarchy when we abandon principle? And is that fair to the next generation?
I agree there is no perfect system; but I do believe in a perfect Savior, and that is who I try to model my life after.
Thanks again for sharing!