Читать книгу Into the Silence - Dennis Psy.D. Cummins - Страница 4

“We shouldn’t choose to live not for the now, but for what is going to last for eternity.”

Do you know God or do you only know of God, or about a god? There’s a big difference. In Psalms 46:10 it says, “Be still and know that I am God.” We have been charged as Christians to be still and know God. This is not a suggestion or an option as a disciple of Christ. This is God Himself speaking to us to take some time to get to know Him—His heart, His values, His Character, His Judgment and His love. According to the Barna survey, we can conclude that most church-goers don’t see any benefit in getting to know God let alone making any sacrifices for Him.

One of the biggest hindrances I see for people who are interested in knowing God is that they have no silence in their life. That equates to having no time for God because they are just too busy. I have to ask, what are we so busy doing—answering our cell phones, checking email, sending text messages and running to the store? I’ve never seen a day where parents indulge their kids so much. “Oh, little Johnny’s got practice, and little Suzie’s got dance lessons,” never giving any thought to the importance of “silence” in their lives. They’re living their lives through their kids without any infrastructure on which to build a foundation on. It’s all about living for the moment.

Married couples are taking on more work responsibilities to pay for their new toys and bigger homes. They live on the theme “play now and pay later.” This value system fragments the family into complete chaos. I know of one couple who had overextended themselves on the purchase of a new home. They didn’t mind having to take on additional work to cover their financial stress, but this meant they rarely saw one another. One day the husband came home from work and realized his wife was missing. In reality, she had been missing for four days, and he didn’t even know it! She had been in a terrible car accident down a steep ravine and trapped in her car for four days. This behavior has become the acceptable lifestyle for 93% of the church. This lifestyle says to God, “Yes, you may be out there somewhere, but I am way too busy taking care of me.” I have seen people in our own church overextend themselves on frivolous purchases. They are living the life of luxury on credit until the credit is all gone. The creditors are pounding on their door wanting blood. Now, out of panic, they play the “God will understand” card and stop tithing. They need God’s money to pay for their foolish living. They make God’s church suffer and sacrifice so they won’t have to. They have taken frivolous wants and turned them into financial needs that God was never a part of. This is the presumption of God’s mercy upon a selfish heart. Paul, the apostle, wrote in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days, men shall be lovers of themselves. Paul is telling us that people are going see that their needs are met first prior to looking to anyone else’s needs. Unfortunately, the “me first” doctrine has permeated the church. A gentleman shared with me that he chose to buy a really nice house for his family instead of tithing to his church. He said, “God understands.” I thought to myself, “Yes, God does understand. He understands that you don’t love Him first. He understands that you don’t want to serve Him first. He understands that you have chosen to build your house on the sand of humanistic reasoning.” Proverbs 16:25(English Standard Version) tells us “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” I have met so many people who are absolutely convinced they are right in their sin and disobedience. They take their humanistic knowledge and wisdom and pit it against the wisdom of the ages. They stand in arrogance and pride convincing their selves God is wrong and they are right.

1 Timothy 6:4-5(Contemporary English Version) says, “Those people who disagree are proud of themselves, but they don't really know a thing. Their minds are sick, and they like to argue over Words. They cause jealousy, disagreements, unkind Words, evil suspicions and nasty quarrels. They have wicked minds and have missed out on the truth.”

As a Christian, we have an obligation to align our life with God’s truth which gives us an eternal perspective. We choose to live not for the now, but for what is going to last for eternity. This is in direct opposition to Church culture that is being driven by society’s patterns and not God’s patterns. If 93% of the Church sees no direct benefit in knowing God they are being driven by the moment. If they are being driven by the moment they will make knee jerk reactions and shallow decisions, leading to a foundation built on things that are temporary; a foundation that will not last in the light of eternity.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13(King James Version) says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”