Another Book Review :)

Can you tell it's a snow day? 2 blog posts in one day.  That's an accomplishment for me :)  Anyway, I have been wanting to tell you about another book I read over Christmas break, but haven't gotten around to it.  These posts are probably the most time consuming for me to write, so I have been putting them off :)  As a side note, today I was reading Job 38 and 39.  One of things the Lord has been convicting me of is my pride- hence Mahaney's book "Humility."  Let me know if after sitting in those chapters for a while you feel any sense of pride!  My favorite verse is actually found in 40:10 where God asks Job if he can: "Adorn (himself) with majesty and dignity; clothe (himself) with glory and splendor?" yep- that would shut me up, too.

Anyway, back to the book review!  This actually is another book my boss recommended:  "Just Do Something" by Kevin DeYoung.  I believe DeYoung has a lot of wisdom on this topic since his church is located near a college where a lot of students are constantly making "big life decisions."  And, he's a pretty entertaining writer.  He begins by saying there are 2 sides of God's will:

1. "God's will of decree:" what God has ordained.  Ephesians 1:11- His plan that won't be thwarted
2. "God's will of desire:" what God has commanded- His desires for us recorded in the Bible: Ex. 1 John 2:15

What most people look for is a will of direction- where to live, what job to take, who to marry etc., and God doesn't necessarily have a specific plan for those things that we must discover or else we will be "out of His will."  Christians can spend too much time trying to uncover that one, specific plan they think God has for their life, worrying that if they choose the "wrong job" they are doomed for failure.  He spells out these reasons why people want to know God's specific will of direction:

• We want to please God
• We are timid
• We are searching for perfect fulfillment in life
• We worry that if we make the wrong decision we will lead unhappy lives (maybe not with every decision.. but hasn't this thought (lie for that matter) crept into your thinking at one point?!)
• We have too many choices
• He has some pretty interesting statistics for this- how many different choices of cereal, homes, etc there are.  He also discuses how a 100 years ago there were many less decisions to be made: many young people only had the option of pursuing their parent's profession or had the option to choose between 5 to 10 girls to marry- those that lived in their town.  Obviously here in America we are privileged with many choices, but that sometimes can be a burden when we over-spiritualize each decision.
• We are cowardly
• We don't take risks because we are obsessed with safety and security- we want God to show us the future so we don't have to take any risks.  But that's not how God wants us to make decisions; He wants us to seek Him and He will speak to us through scripture and transform our hearts and mind.

I think one of the most important pieces of wisdom I gained from his book is that God is most concerned about our sanctification: are we growing in our compassion, joy, faithfulness, love, worship, etc.?  God does care about every aspect of our lives, but He cares MOST about the things mentioned above.  So DeYoung says if you want to buy a house- God doesn't care if the house has 5 rooms and 2 bathrooms or 3 rooms and 1.5 baths, He wants you to buy a house that makes you holy.  What does that mean?  I think it means that we need to buy a home that won't put us into debt by spending above our means, one that we can hold with an open hand and use for hospitality, and one that doesn't cause me to be prideful.  Beyond that, we are free to make the decision about the deck and the the number of bedrooms.  

He offers these three pieces of advice in making decisions: 1) store up God's commands 2) turn your ear to wisdom 3) call out for insight.  Basically read the Bible so you know God more- know His thoughts, His ways, His affections and develop a taste for godliness; seek counsel from Godly people, and pray.  You can pray for a specific sign- but we need to remember that God doesn't guarantee that He'll tell us the answer in a huge revelation- we won't necessarily get a "peace" or be told in a dream which job to take, but He will give us wisdom to make a decision that is based on faith, hope, and love - not on fear or people pleasing.  

There are many other things DeYoung discusses in his book and I would just love to talk about it with you if you read it or have read it!  Especially his last section about delaying life and spending your twentysomething in sin rather than finding a job, getting married, and starting a family (you can see his thoughts in the quote below :)  Overall, I found a lot of truth and wisdom in DeYoung's book, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the midst of making a big decision.

So finally, here's a taste of DeYoung's writing style and bluntness- I'll end with this quote :)

"Finally, I exhort the men reading this book to pray for wisdom (James 1:5-6), get a job, and get married.  And do it sooner rather than later.  To do so would be good for your sanctification, good for your purity, good for the church, and good for some godly woman out there who would be your wife, though she's probably already better than you deserve, just like my bride was for me."