Vince Deagler

sound familiar?  seems like every time i turn on a tv, radio, or look to the news of the day, i hear the mantra “we have to do something”.  lets talk about that for a few moments.  as you know, i’m a pastor in modesto, ca and we have been studying the book of ephesians in our sunday worship services.  i’ve studied ephesians before, but never have i seen such a convergence of present reality in our culture with what god has to say.  you talk about relevance…scripture couldn’t get any more relevant.  this one phrase, “we have to do something” is a perfect example.

now before i go any further, lets take a quiz to see how perceptive we all are out there in cyberspace.  what is wrong with the statement “we have to do something”???  if your thinking, if we do the wrong thing it will make matters worse, give yourself a passing grade.  if you never considered that point, you really need to keep reading.  you are exactly the kind of person who needs to hear what god has to say.  unfortunately, far too many people have bought the we have to do something idea…and i’m not just talking about our brilliant political leaders (please understand that statement was meant to be sarcastic).  across the board we are a reactionary, impulsive, feeling oriented culture that is literally disintegrating as a consequence.  now, lets look at what paul has to say that is so important to understand in a “we have to do something” culture.

ephesians 5:15-17 clearly states we are to be very careful how we live, we are to choose the path of wisdom, make the most of every opportunity, avoid the trap of not thinking, but synthesize what the will of the lord is for out lives.  in short, don’t just do something because we have to do something, do the next right thing.  do it today, do it tomorrow, do it the next, string a lifetime of doing the next right things together and you’ll have a life worth living.  fail, and …well lets put it this way…what you see is what you’ll get.

now i don’t control what happens in washington or sacramento, for that matter i don’t control what goes on in anyone’s life beyond my own.  but perhaps, by sharing these thoughts some of you out there might actually change the way you make decisions, you might actually start living out better choices, and day by day the prospects of your life just might improve.  perhaps if i give a few examples it will help you understand what i’m getting at. 

but let me give you 2 grids to work with before i do.  the first we’ll call a heart exam.  H = what’s happening (we are all surrounded by circumstances that are constantly changing), E = my efforts (what i’m saying and doing in light of what’s happening), A = my aim (what i hope to accomplish with my efforts), R = my reasoning (how i justify what i’ve done), T = treason or trust (as christians my life should reflect i trust god enough to do what he says, anything less is treason).

a second grid is a suggested approach to decision making.  this starts with a comprehensive collection of all relevant data (this may include insight and counsel from others).  all this data needs to be evaluated based on pro’s and con’s and the effect it will have immediately, in the short term, and in the long term.  we must then clarify our goals, re-set our priorities to accomplish those goals, make a plan, and work the plan. 

now let me offer a few examples that i personally have dealt with.  anyone out there ever have difficulty in your marriage?  as a pastor i have had the privilege of helping many couples work through their problems and get the kind of marriage they always wanted, and god wanted for them.  but i have also failed in my efforts.  you see, depending on what issues you face, re-building a marriage can be challenging.  and in the midst of the challenge i have had couples detour around the path that would result in success.  what i’m talking about is the “AIM” step from our heart exam above.  but you don’t understand they say, i was so unhappy, we had so many problems, all’s we did was fight, nothing seemed to work, i had to do something.  unfortunately i’ve met people whose something was to have an affair or something equally unwise and destructive.  it is always enlightening to speak with them and look at reality as they have presented it.  so…what your saying is i had a bad marriage, filled with problems, and i thought the answer was have an affair???  (the reality is they chose this course of action, not to fix their problem marriage, but to find some immediate gratification so they would feel better)  but, if they did want to improve their marriage we have to ask … is that ever gonna fix the problem of a bad marriage?  or do you suppose it will make matters worse.  you see the “we have to do something” approach may just blow up in our face.  we have to do the next right thing, that is what will lead to success.  and to figure out what that next right thing is requires some thought.  take the heart exam we shared earlier (but instead of aiming selfishly at what you want, ask what would god like to see come out of these particular circumstances…then say and do the kind of things that give him the best chance to work that out).  learn how to think by using the process i suggested above. 

another common mistake is how easily people who are in debt, keep accumulating debt because…we have to do something.  time and space won’t allow me to cover all the scenarios i’ve experienced.  but let me mention one, debt consolidation.  now don’t get me wrong, debt consolidation can be a lifesaver if used properly, unfortunately too often is is used impulsively as a quick fix that never addresses the real problem.  let me explain.  why do we consider debt consolidation in the first place?  because we have too much debt, from many different sources, with different terms, and we are struggling making all the payments in a timely manner.  let me point out the obvious, the way we got here was undisciplined spending.  if that is not addressed, consolidation actually hurts us because it frees up our credit cards and other sources of credit so we can max them out again.  only this time, debt consolidation will not be an option, and perhaps we are now in danger of losing our home because it was used as collateral to do the first consolidation.  do you see what i’m getting at.  it is foolish to think in reactionary terms of we have to do something.  NO, we have to do the next right thing.  or as paul says…be careful how you live, chose the path of wisdom, make the most of every opportunity, avoid the trap of not thinking, instead synthesize what god wants you to do with your life.  you and our society will be better for it.  i’d love to dig into this more deeply with you.  drop me a line at pefcvince@sbcglobal.net if your interested.  blessings.  vince