Weekly Post
9-21-03 POST
The idea that we Christians should define the good life for ourselves is prevalent today, and
many of us define it pretty much the same way as everybody else. We want plenty of money to
provide us with plenty of the necessities (as in the latest entertainment, clothes that are at the
very least not out of date, and a ride that'll go places the driver never intends to go), no pain,
excitement without risk, and so on. When talking about such things I have heard this from many
Christians, "I don't want to be rich, just comfortable." And they often add, "I just don't want to
do without.". Oh, and we do want people to think we are okay - okay in the sense of being cool,
with-it, or whatever it might be called to be among those who are somehow succeeding. We are
really talking about one's personal location in one of the many available pecking orders here..
Right.
Well, God has told us the consistence of the good life, but His list is not the same as ours. He
wants us to have plenty of money to help those who need true necessities, enough pain to have
to continue to look to Him, and to desire that His name be respected above all things. In fact, he
wants us to find our place through our association with Him, not through anything about
ourselves. If you don't like this list, you should remember that God promised complete and
eternal satisfaction for those who would live according to His definition of the good life.
Such promises don't matter much unless you believe them. If you are spending very much time
looking at websites of small churches, you are very likely to say you do believe everything that
God says. But do you? How do you prove what you really believe? By what you do, of
course. Just for example, if you would say you believe it is more satisfying to help the hungry
than to enjoy food yourself then hit the scales and get back to me.
Dale Huckabay
The idea that we Christians should define the good life for ourselves is prevalent today, and
many of us define it pretty much the same way as everybody else. We want plenty of money to
provide us with plenty of the necessities (as in the latest entertainment, clothes that are at the
very least not out of date, and a ride that'll go places the driver never intends to go), no pain,
excitement without risk, and so on. When talking about such things I have heard this from many
Christians, "I don't want to be rich, just comfortable." And they often add, "I just don't want to
do without.". Oh, and we do want people to think we are okay - okay in the sense of being cool,
with-it, or whatever it might be called to be among those who are somehow succeeding. We are
really talking about one's personal location in one of the many available pecking orders here..
Right.
Well, God has told us the consistence of the good life, but His list is not the same as ours. He
wants us to have plenty of money to help those who need true necessities, enough pain to have
to continue to look to Him, and to desire that His name be respected above all things. In fact, he
wants us to find our place through our association with Him, not through anything about
ourselves. If you don't like this list, you should remember that God promised complete and
eternal satisfaction for those who would live according to His definition of the good life.
Such promises don't matter much unless you believe them. If you are spending very much time
looking at websites of small churches, you are very likely to say you do believe everything that
God says. But do you? How do you prove what you really believe? By what you do, of
course. Just for example, if you would say you believe it is more satisfying to help the hungry
than to enjoy food yourself then hit the scales and get back to me.
Dale Huckabay
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