We Know - Part Three

1 John 5:20

          I want to simplify your life. That’s right! There really is one main goal in life. All other goals are secondary and derivative. There is only one pursuit that pulls us toward eternity and ensures that connection. There are many worthy short term goals in life. Some of these goals will last a lifetime. But only one will last beyond this life. And this is the goal that is worth pursuing.

          I keep toying with the idea of getting my Doctorate. It is the next degree in my flight path. But then I pause and ask myself, what do I gain by getting that degree? I gain some knowledge. I lose some money. I gain a piece of paper. I lose some time. My ego gets stroked. Some possible job opportunities could be opened up to me. I get a few pats on the back.

          But it would be a whole lot of work! And I just can’t justify the costs in time and talent in the pursuit. It might be nice to be called Dr. Arnold, but I like Stan much better. I am, after all, a pretty simple guy. I don’t like too much ceremony or spotlight time. I want my life to be a mirror reflecting the glory of Jesus. A Doctorate might get in the way.

          Are there goals that might get in your way as you pursue knowing God? They may be good goals, but they might sidetrack you from the main goal. And this is some of what John saw as the false teachers began their work. They were sidetracking the Christian faith. They rejected aspects of the reality of Jesus, either His full humanity or His full Deity. They placed barriers between us and God.

          But John repeatedly emphasizes that we can know the LORD. We can have intimate fellowship with Him. Because Jesus repaired the connection between God and humankind, we can enjoy what we were originally designed to enjoy. We can walk in the garden in the cool of the evening. We can live without shame.

          We can know the One who is true. The LORD isn’t just someone who knows truth, He is true itself. He is the true North of all experience. If we align ourselves with Him, we will always be on course in life and in eternity. So when we are in Jesus, we are in the One who lived a life perfectly aligned to the will of the Father.

          So today, as you look at your schedule and evaluate priorities, remember that you are in Him. Our greatest priority is to know Him more.

Viewfinder

Proverbs 17:24

       One of the things about people who accomplish a lot by the world’s standards is their ability to keep their focus on a goal. They doggedly stay focused. They are able to not get sidetracked by non-important, non-essential tasks that don’t contribute to the goal. They can look at what needs to be accomplished and prioritize everything in view of the goal. Distractions don’t seem to draw them away.

      For us as Jesus-followers our goal is wisdom. Of course this is not an abstract set of knowledge, things we memorize and can regurgitate at a moment’s notice. Wisdom starts with an intimate relationship with the LORD and flows from there. Without this living, vital, growing relationship, all else is futile. But with this relationship, everything else in life finds meaning.

      One of the basic skills of soldiers is being able to keep their eye on their target when firing their weapon. Snipers, the most elite marksmen in the world, will train staying still for days in order to obtain their target. They are some of the most discipline people in the world. They know how to focus! Distance, wind speed and direction, temperature, barometric pressure, the particular load and round type, breathing and squeeze. Nothing distracts them when their target is in view.

      We are to keep wisdom in view, as our proverb states. It does not consume our complete view as there are other things in life, but it is always in the picture, center stage. We can have a family, goof off, go on a vacation, buy a nice car, decorate, watch a movie, play a game, tickle, get a degree, travel, and still have wisdom in view. We don’t have to become cloistered individuals, cut off from the world. We can live full lives.

      But so few people live their lives with wisdom even in the picture! They get distracted and spend their lives moving in multiple, aimless directions. They chase rabbits! We are called to have focus, direction, purpose. Jesus provides us that, if we will listen to Him.

      Notice that it takes a discerning person to keep wisdom in view. It is easy to get distracted. There are so many shiny objects that can pull us away. We are an over-stimulated people. We have been trained to take in information in 30 minute blocks of time with seven and a half minutes of entertaining breaks interspersed. Images in most entertainment change every four or five seconds. If the angle doesn’t change, we get bored. Count it next time you watch a TV show or a movie.

      We must learn to stay focused, focused in life. We must choose to keep wisdom in our view and not allow it to be kicked out of the picture.

Straight Line

Proverbs 15:21

      When you don’t see the consequences of bad behavior, you can live in bliss for a moment. And some people live with no regard to the future. They rarely, if ever, think of the consequences. Our proverb says that they will have joy, the same kind of joy that is the temporary lift that is connected to any positive behavior. Joy bubbles to the surface quickly, and retreats just as rapidly. Joy is temporary.

      We know children don’t really think about consequences. Thinking about consequences requires the ability to think abstractly which doesn’t really kick in for most children until age nine for most kids. What we teach kids earlier than this is that behavior A brings result B. But they can’t figure out that behavior C will bring results D if they have never done behavior C and received D.

      When people live for the moment only, they might experience joy, but always at a cost. And the cost always outweighs the joy, but the cost is usually in the future, so they enjoy the joy of the moment.

      By contrast, the wise person doesn’t get sidetracked by momentary pleasures. They don’t trade a temporary gain for a long term goal. They stick to their guns, now willing to give up on what is really important. They know the direction they want to go, and they don’t allow themselves to get pulled off course. Even when they are forced to take a detour, the goal is still in their sights. They have a goal!

      I can imagine a laboratory rat trained to seek out food. You train the rat to not stop to pick up one piece of food along the way because the door to abundant food closes after a few seconds. Once it is trained it runs as fast as it can to make it through the door before it closes. The rat chooses to keep the goal in mind. Some rats cannot be trained to ignore the food along the way. They get distracted, and miss out on the big prize.

      I want to be trainable, moldable by the LORD. I want to learn the lessons the first time around. I want to listen closely to His leading. I want to stay on the straight course, the shortest route between two places.