This week's Bible Study - August 2, 2009
Do You See the Big Picture?
 Background Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 4:1-5;5:15-22; 2 Peter 3:8-9
Quote of the Week:
“Golf is a puzzle without an answer. I've played the game for 40 years and I still haven't the slightest idea how to play.”
-- Gary Player
This next series of lesson is about finding and following God's will. There are not too many believers who don't want to be in God's will. However, most people have a hard time identifying God's will, or they end up wanting to make God line up with their own will. I think we've all been there, at one time or another. We have our idea of what we want and are asking God to line up. The lessons will focus on a few key questions. First, this lesson asks if we see the big picture. Other lessons will ask us if we require signs; if we are actually running from God's will; and finally if we will remain faithful.
When you are beginning a task, how important is the big picture? I know in my work context, there are often tasks that my group is given and there is a presumption that everyone knows who is asking for what and what success really is. If we move forward without an understanding of the big picture, we may head towards a path that is far from what was expected.
How hard is it to work a 1000 piece puzzle without the box? I enjoy working puzzles, but I really think I need the picture on the front of the box. I can start with the exterior pieces and generally figure out the top and the bottom assuming there is a sky and ground, but even that can be problematic. And, if I just had the picture on the box, without the pieces of the puzzle, what good is that? As we live the Christian life, we need to realize that God has a bigger picture in which we fit. We have all been given the pieces to God's puzzle, and we need to find out how we can align to God's will. Your pieces may be in the corner, or in the sky or elsewhere, but without your pieces, there are holes in the bigger picture.
If you're like me, you probably would like to get some daily guidance from God. I used to think it would be great to have a newspaper or email to me, from God, each day, detailing what it was that I was supposed to do that day. What opportunities would God lay before me? What decisions would I need to make (and what should I decide)? How did God want me to deal with this situation or that situation? We seem to want that point guidance on our daily lives, but we often ignore the things that have been clearly said. Can you imagine, as a parent, telling your kids to do some things, but instead of doing those, they want to know what else you want them to do in this or that instance? We do the same to God. What has God clearly told us?
In this passage from Paul's book to the church at Thessalonica, Paul instructed his brothers in the faith on how to live in order to please God. He said that they were, in fact, living in this manner. I believe that anyone who reads this lesson wants to please God. We make mistakes, but overall, we want to please God. Paul is asking and urging his brothers in the Lord Jesus to the do this more and more. They knew what instruction that Paul had given them by the authority of the Lord Jesus, and they were to follow.
It is God's will that his children be sanctified, or set apart. We should be different from others who are of this world. In your workplace, or your neighborhood, or your class, or in your circle of friends, are you set apart? Do people notice a difference in your life - more than just church attendance on Sunday? This can be in a number of ways, including how we deal with others and things that come up in our lives.
One of the key areas that Paul mentions in this passage is that we should avoid sexual immorality. Is this a problem in our society today? Of course. And, unfortunately, it has infiltrated the church as well. Many relationships have been destroyed by sexual immorality, and that's not likely to end soon. Across our world, there are many lives that have been destroyed by sexual immorality. If this rings true with you now, is God telling you that your part of the bigger picture is to move away from sexual immorality? With advances in technology that bring anything of the world into our homes through the internet and television, there are many people that are battling addictions in this area. It has become too easy, and our society has become more and more accepting of it, if not encouraging it.
Rather than allowing our bodies to be controlled by worldly passions, we need to learn to control our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable. There should be something different in this area from the heathen in the world that are following their own passions, because they do not know God. One key thought in this area, or in any other area in which we struggle and we want to change - I can say that most people cannot just say "I will not do that anymore". If this has been a drive in your life in the past, you can't easily just quit - you need to replace that activity with something else. God has given us many other avenues to expend our energy. When you are trying to get away from one thing that seems to have you under its control, find something other Godly activity in which to expend your energies. God will give you a way out, if you are willing to seek it.
In this passage, Paul gives a short list of things to avoid and things to do. But, they aren't easy. Sometimes, a list can be easy. If you are one who makes 'to do' lists, you may find that the items are very easy - take the trash out, do the wash, or make appointments, etc. Other people have more detailed lists, with items that may never get figured out. I see a lot of these at work - people's pie in the sky ideas or things that people ask for without knowing what is possible. The list that Paul gives may seem on one hand, to be easy, and on the other hand, very difficult to implement.
First, Paul writes about what to do when we've been wronged. Well, we all know the answer to that, right? Let's get even! This is far from what Paul says - he says to make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. How hard is this in practice? The natural reaction is to want to get even and perhaps even get a step ahead. We all have been wronged - and I would suggest that we all have wronged others. Paul tells us that we need to be kind to one another and to everyone else. Is kindness something that is evident in your life? Are you set apart from others in this area?
The next three things are heard often, and seem very good to do, but are very difficult to put into practice. Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Life always seems to bring about problems. Right now, if you're like me - you know people that have lost jobs, people that have lost spouses or children, people that are dealing with the breakup of a marriage, people that are suffering from illness and maybe even others that are in terminal conditions right now. There are many more things you could add. Even when it's not you, it is difficult to be joyful always. And, if it is you, it can even be more difficult. Joy is not circumstance based, but upon what we have in Christ.
Pray continually. Hopefully, we all find time to pray. It gets a bit easier when we are experiencing issues or when we know others who are dealing with difficulties in their lives. But, it can be more difficult when things seem to be going good. And, the idea of praying continually is more than we can think of. Certainly, this is not meant to be closing your eyes all the time, or to be continually speaking. I believe this to be a mindset. We all have other things to concentrate on in life, but we are called to have an attitude of prayer at all times. Walking down the hall, or driving down the road, or at any opportunity, are we lifting our requests to God?
Give thanks in all circumstances. Not that this does not say give thanks for all circumstances. When life just goes belly up, we aren't to have an over spiritual response - God, thank you for this! Instead, we are to be thankful in all things. We know that God causes all things to work together to good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. You may not understand the circumstance, but you can know that God will use that in his plan - to achieve the bigger picture.
We are called to not put out the Spirit's fire. We need to keep our relationship with Christ fresh and alive. Are we doing the things that build that relationship, or are we, once again, expecting to get that from once a week (or less) at a church service? That may help in your relationship with the church, but a relationship with Christ is more. We are to not treat prophecies with contempt. There are prophecies of what is to come - we need to trust that God will accomplish what he has said. Test everything, hold on to the good and avoid every kind of evil. Do you get the idea that this idea of God's will is to impact every aspect of our lives? It's not that we can put that into an alternate area of our lives and expect it to be effective. Everything we experience plays a part in God's big picture. In all we do, seek out the good, and avoid every kind of evil. Generally, we know what those things are. Do we see how it all relates together?
Peter writes in this passage as to how we are to deal with one another. I think this has a lot to say to us who are in churches, and probably more to those of us who have been there our entire lives than others. We are to live in harmony with one another. I see some churches that are very harmonious, but over time, they allow things to come between them. As long as everyone thinks the same way, or as long as everyone walks the straight and narrow line, it's all good. But, if someone steps out of the boundaries, even for a while, the church seems to push them aside. Do we forget that the church is more of a hospital than a university? Each week, there are people that are hurting in our churches - for a variety of reasons. And, there are others that very much unsympathetic towards those hurts. Whatever it is that is causing you to not be in harmony, pray that God will help you to take care of that.
We are to be sympathetic, love as brothers and to be compassionate and humble. We do sympathize in the loss of a loved one, for a short period of time. However, I've seen some people that put a timeframe limit on that - then, it's "Get over it!". It's not meant to be harmful, but we are all different and deal with things differently. We are to love as brothers - I wonder if this means we are supposed to wrestle and smack one another, etc, or perhaps this means as brothers when they grow up. I haven't wrestled with my brothers for a while, but I know that our relationship is much deeper as we've grown. We need to be compassionate and humble with one another. Does this characterize your relationship with other believers? When you think of problems with harmony in the church, who comes to mind and what can you do?
Again, we are called to be careful about how we deal with evil and insult. We are not to repay evil with evil or insult with insult. This is counter to how the world goes. You can see the carnage from this all over the place - but we shouldn't see this in the church. How do you respond? We are to respond with a blessing. When you bless others, it is harder to insult or do evil towards them. We were called to inherit a blessing. What if God dealt with us as we deal with others? Our lives should be different from how the world deals with the world, and more in line with how God deals with man.
Closing
Are you getting the big picture? If you want to fit into God's will, you need to begin by understanding what God desires of you each day and in all circumstances. Are you building your relationship with Christ and are you in harmony with other believers? If there are areas that you need to make changes in your life, are you willing to do what it takes?
We can't know what God wants us to do in every situation, but he has made it clear what is expected from each of us as we live our lives. Are we faithful in what we know? When you look at your life, do you consider yourself set apart from the world? What would your co-workers or fellow students or neighbors say - are you more like the world or are you set apart? What areas are you struggling in? Ask God to help you get past those and then seek to backfill with the things that God asks you to do.
We learned that one of the things that we need to work on is our relationship with other believers. You will be wronged at some point, and you will wrong someone else. We are human. How will you respond? If you are having problems with a person, take the time to pray for them. It will change the way you feel about them. We are told to pray continually - if we just pray for the people that we have problems with, when we see them, that might take care of that.
In closing, we do know some of the things we've called to do. As we seek God's will, let's not forget the things he has clearly told us, and we will begin to see the big picture. We'll also be able to start to understand how other things will fall in line, as we understand that God is consistent.
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