We live in a "yes" world. There is so much to do, and as mostly middle class Americans, we are in a position to say yes to so many things. And for the most part, we seem to try to. After all, we don't want to miss out! No, I don't mean sinful things. But sometimes it feels like we are trying to indulge in and experience pretty much everything else.
I wonder if a first century Christian could even fathom a life like that. I doubt most of them would be interested in it at all. They were very clear on their identity and it showed. Are you? Am I?
Next week we will look at dangerous spiritual decisions, and what has to happen for you to say no to them. But in some ways today's topic is harder. It is about more normal, daily decisions: how you use your time or money. What you pursue as a passion and what you have to ignore in order to get that done. Do you say "no"? And what I the filter system, the identity system, you use to get to a point to decline something that seems great? Let's get uncomfortable and explore!
- Does your life seem overly full of "good" things that distract from "great" things?
- Do you, like me, struggle to say no to opportunities?
- Do you have the FOMO problem in a world where there is so much to do?
- By what metric do you say NO to things? I mean things that are not even morally wrong?
- Does your identity as a Christian have a heavy influence on what you choose to do with your time, money and life?