Limits, boundaries, guardrails! Are they necessary? They sure aren’t fun to discuss. Who wants to be questioned these days for the choices they are making? Doesn’t Jesus give us freedom and even instruct us not to judge? That last question is for a podcast for another time. I’m persuaded that in our country today, it might be harder to be a devoted, serious, self-sacrificing, disciplined follower of Jesus, than at other times, due to the excess of our lifestyles. Our distractions are many and it seems harder than ever to control our appetites for the many comforts and pleasures so easily available to us.
It certainly wasn’t easy to be a disciple in the 1st century either. It could cost you your life. I’m amazed, at times, at what’s become commonplace in our lifestyles today. I long for a community that’s willing to question and counter the behaviors with which we have all become increasingly comfortable and accepting.
Is “Normal” OK?
What I’d like you to consider is this: How much of what determines your decision-making is a result of what has been accepted as normal and who is determining what’s “normal”? It’s a sobering thing to contemplate.
We are very easily influenced by our surroundings. More so than most of us are willing to admit. Because our human nature is so easily influenced, I believe it’s critical for us to identify what we consider “normal” in and for our lives. Is it “normal” for you to purchase a coffee every day? Is it “normal” to trade up to the newest device as soon as it’s available? Is it “normal” to buy the latest trends in fashion, even if your old clothes aren’t worn out? I know I may be stepping on some toes, but these are examples of the type of questions I believe we need to ask ourselves.
At times, I’m arrested in what I’m about to do, and ask myself, “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” Friends, it’s essential we realize that our lifestyle as Americans is not normal from a global perspective. When we remind ourselves of this, it can serve to help us slow down and assess what’s behind some of our choices. Here is my main point:
Living a biblically responsible life requires us to carefully consider our way of life, what is shaping our priorities, and how Kingdom-minded we really are.
Life’s Limiting Forces
I am not writing to make people feel bad about themselves. I am writing to others and myself to call attention to the external and internal forces that can so easily hold us back from experiencing the full life for which Jesus came (John 10:10).
Regretfully, I see many areas in my own life where my responses and choices arise from convincing myself it’s “ok” or “not that bad”….after all, everybody is doing it. Friends, that’s just another way of convincing myself that what I want to do, or purchase, that which may be unnecessary or unneeded, is “normal”. But says who?! I’m not saying it’s wrong to enjoy comfort and pleasure. After all, I Timothy 6:17 tells us God has given us richly all things to enjoy. What I’m calling for is balance, for control over our appetites against anything that detracts from finding our satisfaction in and living for Jesus.
Living with Biblical Balance
Again, we must each acknowledge how attracted we are to pursuing comforts and pleasures for ourselves. Often much more than we are willing to admit. Today, will you take an inventory of your lifestyle and choices, with the goal to find biblical balance in how you are living?
At times, achieving that balance may mean discontinuing certain habits. Perhaps even traditions that are celebrated. Certainly, we each have areas of our life where we might deny ourselves the pleasures we are offered. Finding a controlled balance may also work in the other direction, calling us to do some things we may not have previously considered necessary or lavish. An example could be doing something out of the norm for a spouse, a child, a parent, or a friend.
What is key is that we recognize we each have appetites for something, perhaps many things. Controlling those appetites is not best accomplished by a list of do’s and don’ts. Rather, it is through the control of the Holy Spirit, who is faithful to show us how we are to live. John 16:13 assures us that, “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (NLT).
Friends, will you invite the Holy Spirit to step on your toes a bit concerning your daily habits and practices? Allow Him to temper your appetite for that which does not satisfy, and to grow your hunger and thirst for righteousness, so that you may experience the promise Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5:6 – the promise of true fulfillment. Please join me as we seek to live and love as Kingdom-minded followers of God.
