Remember when a parent or a grandparent, at one point or another in your life yelled at you, “STOP!” Maybe it was when, as an aspiring athlete and engrossed in the game, you bolted into traffic to retrieve the basketball. Perhaps as a toddler you were about to stick something into an electrical outlet. Or maybe it was actually already too late because out in the garden you wanted to go try eating a big bite of dirt.
Whatever the case, a loud, aggressive and over-the-top “stop” was totally in order. And if it scared and startled you to the point that you cried… well better than the alternative. And so with that in mind, I hope you’ll take to heart both the gravity and the amazing nature of God in this magazine issue’s theme: Stop And Gooooo With God!
There’s a lot to unpack in this theme. Quite honestly, as we take this year to explore, understand and pursue after the nature of God it’s going to require that each of us invest some serious effort. Effort to use our time better. Effort to pay a lot more attention to God. Effort to die to our self well. Effort to love Jesus, others and even ourselves more than we ever have. To do that, it’s really important to have a mindset, a commitment, a really urgent passion to stop and then go with God.
STOP WHAT, GO HOW?
Well that’s the subject of many stories in the Bible – stories we need to apply to our own life. There’s Saul/Paul who had to stop persecuting Christians. Samson had to stop being arrogant and unfaithful. Rahab had to stop being a prostitute. Peter had to stop being a coward. Disobedience, jealousy, idolatry, deceit, betrayal, and so many more things are sin – and we need to stop it.
SUBTLE BUT OH SO OBVIOUS
Few of us would argue that in general we’re all on our screens way too much. It’s legit right? Getting information on when to plant, doing work and selling our harvest, managing your garden chores (see video below), connecting with others aaand, yeah ok I do a little social media too. It’s more than a little. By some estimates we’re on our screens more than 10 hours per day. That’s pretty obvious and yet it subtly steels our time away from what is really more important – time with each other, accomplishing the calling God gives each of us and simply slowing the ‘go’ so that we can be in the presence of God.
In the book, Scrolling Ourselves To Death, Read Mercer Schuchardt says, “Stop scrolling and start your life. Stop trying to reach the 150,000 impressions per video required to be an influencer in the virtual world. There are 150 people in your real world whose lives you could tangibly influence for eternity.”
GOTCHA, NO SIN AND NO SUBTLE, ANYTHING ELSE?
Actually there is. There’s more things that we need to stop and you may not immediately identify them because they don’t fit into the obvious “sin” or the subtle categories. Eating, self improvement, going, spending (or earning and saving), producing, doing good, and so many more really great things can be exactly the thing that keeps you from living in the full presence of God – the life that God intends for you.
Beyond the sin and beyond the technology, which we all can rather easily decry as dangerous and addictive or at least frivolous and time consuming, there are the things that God gives us – really good things – the lifestyle activities that fill us with passion and give us joy. They are the things we talk about in our magazines: fitness, travel, gardening, outdoor activities and you probably have a few more. They are the things that make our days go good.
ONE THING ONLY IS ESSENTIAL – TO GO WITH GOD
Now pay attention ‘cause here’s where it get’s ouchy – the moment where God is in fact loudly, aggressively and over-the-top yelling to us to STOP! And, if you cry, well that’s better than the alternative.
In the Bible there’s a really short story about 2 sisters named Mary and Martha:
As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”
The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”
It’s pretty clear that Martha had a passion for cooking and hospitality, much like you have a passion for growing plants and love to go to the garden. It was her thing, a good thing and she did it well. But, it was the thing that kept her from the “one thing” that God really wanted for her. Mary chose to Gooooo With God! —Here’s where it get’s amazingly awesome. The “Master” (Christ) said, “It won’t be taken from her.”
YOU’RE NOT LOSING ANYTHING – YOU’RE GAINING EVERYTHING
We need to stop being naive. Don’t let sin or the things the world crafts or even the good things God gives you, like all the gardening, faze you. #stopandgoooowithgod Live God’s way. Through the Word (the Bible) we are put together (solid and complete) and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. That’s key to achieving a desired outcome.
Grow deep in Christ,
Brad Bloom, Publisher
