31 3 / 2011
the Good is ALWAYS the Enemy of the Best! (repost)
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
- 1 Samuel 15:22-23
If you want to know the context of this story, READ THE BIBLE! I could have summarized the chapter, but I want to take this opportunity to encourage every follower of Christ to read the Word of God! I will get to this point/emphasis later on, but for now, take couple minutes to read and meditate on this story in 1 Samuel 15.
Now, take a moment to think about the quote “the Good is the enemy of the Best.” Just to make sure I don’t receive any undeserved credit, I did not make up this quote. I read it in a book, but I’m not even sure if the author thought of it. haha. Whoever thought of it must have been a genius! Anyways, this quote was extremely profound to me when I first read it and it still continues to be on the back of my mind. Sure, this quote can be applied to many different circumstances, but I’m most interested in its relevance to the Christian’s life. The things that I have to say on this topic may be perceived as extremely bold or even offensive, but I hope that it may force us to think or rethink about some of things that have been so ingrained in our contemporary Christian culture.
In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul is explicitly commanded by God to kill every living thing in the land of the Amalekites. Disobediently, Saul spares Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of the animals (1 Samuel 15:9). For his defense, Saul does mention that he saved the animals in order to sacrifice to God. Due to Saul’s questionable character (1 Samuel 15:12, 21), it is possible and probable that Saul didn’t really mean the words he said, but that is outside of the point. Let us imagine that Saul honestly meant to sacrifice those animals to God. Without being overly analytical or philosophical, i think it is safe to assume that Saul’s actions and intent were disobedient, but nonetheless “good.” Hopefully, by now, the difference between the good and the best are beginning to materialize. Saul’s actions, by any standard, were well-meaning and “good,” but they were simply not the “best.” Samuel’s rebuke to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 is ever so eloquently put, and in a nut shell Samuel says, GOD DELIGHTS IN OBEDIENCE! In the eyes of God and for us, OBEDIENCE is the BEST!
So, what does it mean to be obedient and what does it look like? It’s hard to say, for God calls different people to do different things, but I can talk about what it’s definitely not limited to. Obviously, the points I’m about to mention don’t apply to all Christians, but it is simply a short, comprehensive list of things I have noticed in my own spiritual life as well as the spiritual lives of my peers.
- Going to Church every Sunday does not make you obedient.
- Going to every small group meeting does not make you obedient.
- Doing quiet times everyday does not make you obedient.
- Volunteering at every church event does not make you obedient.
- Tithing ten percent does not make you obedient.
- Serving at Church does not make you obedient.
These actions are indeed good and beneficial, but they are not characteristics of a obedient Christian. As Christians living in America, these are the things we are “supposed” to do in order to pass as “good” Christians. SAY WHAT?!?! Do we really only want to be “good” Christians? Why do we find ourselves striving to be “good” Christians, when God wants us to be OBEDIENT Christians instead? Back to my point before, OBEDIENCE is the BEST choice, and merely being “good” may unfortunately be disobedient in God’s eyes. So how does being obedient relate to the things I listed above? I want to encourage all Christians, myself included, that it is not always God’s longing for us to simply spend our time in those things. Don’t be afraid to miss Church or small group meetings! Who cares if other Christians judge you for missing these things! Judging someone’s spiritual life on the attendance of Church events is overly legalistic and is extremely Pharisee-like. Am I proposing that none of the things I mentioned above are vital for our spiritual lives? In Pauline fashion, BY NO MEANS! What I’m trying to say is that it is okay to miss some Church activities, if and only if you feel like God is telling you to be obedient to something else. In light of everything I just said, one may foolishly state, “I’m going to miss Church on Sunday because I feel like God wants me to sleep in.” Really now. The creator of the entire world wants you to sleep in rather than listen to the preaching of God’s word. -_- Obviously, this example is somewhat unrealistic, but I want to make it clear that it is not an excuse to not do the things we usually do as Christian. So, what can obedience look like?
Maybe, God wants you give our money to a friend in need rather than giving it as tithe. Maybe, God wants you to spend time with a non-believer friend rather than going to small group. Maybe, God wants you to quit serving as a leader and rather be led by others. Maybe, God wants you to stop leading praise even though you have been leading for however long. Maybe, God wants you to go on missions rather than being a sender. Maybe this or maybe that. Regardless of the specifics, what I can promise is that God does have a plan for you and it is up to you to be obedient to it. Do you want to be an obedient Christian or do you want to be a disobedient Christian? The choice is ours to make. God demands a life wholly surrendered to Him. No ifs and no butts. The call and cost of discipleship is clear and it is manifested in complete and utter obedience.
Now, we must rightfully ask how can we know what God wants us to do? The answer is extremely simple. This post is already getting too long, so I will make my point short and sweet. In order for us to hear what God wants us to do, we must be in a intimate relationship with our triune God. Many pastors and preachers say that God speaks to us through the Word of God, the Bible. THIS IS SOOO TRUE!! If we do not know God wants us to do, the first question we must ask is, are we regularly reading the Word of God? If not, then READ THE BIBLE! If we approach the Word of God with humility and are sensitive the Holy Spirit’s leading, I am positive that you will hear in your heart what God wants you to do. Hearing is one thing, but the more important step is to obey the convictions in your heart. Let God’s will be done and not ours! Let us remember that the good is always the enemy of the best, so let’s to figure out and do what God wants us to do.
