good time? or good life?

 

Before proceeding with answering the questions from “Going All The Way” (see previous post), best to restate what is at the heart of such events.

It’s not at all about “Wait!  Don’t!  Stop!”  Far from it.  Matter of fact, it’s all about showing single people which way to go and launching them toward that direction.  Closer to “Come on!  Go for it!” than anything else.

 

 

 The heart of “Going All The Way” is that single people will:

-       acknowledge and embrace God as the source of all life (Gen. 2:7,Ps.16:11) and love (1 Jn. 4:16), and

-       have purposeful relationships (Prov. 29:18)  in good time (Ecc. 3:1, 11; Song of Songs 8:4), with the possibility of them leading to marriages that go all the way (Gen. 2:24, Mt. 19:6).

This, for God’s glory, our joy, and our church’s good and encouragement.

 

GUIDELINES vs RULES

Any blog for the singles, esp. on the “relationships” topic will mostly be guidelines, not rules; being careful on not prohibiting what Scripture does not (1 Cor. 4:6).   Guidelines tho, that will take from the unconventional but more reliable wisdom of Scripture.  So like traffic signs (and lights), everyone will be free to heed or ignore.

 

One of my favorite verses goes:

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.  (Ps. 16:6).

Much like broken white lines that mark out lanes on a highway, guidelines serve as relational boundary lines, laid for order and [your] safety.  Such say “Best to stay in a lane; proceed with care when changing lanes”.

At dangerous areas, however, transportation authorities act on the responsibility of clearly and strongly warning drivers of the danger up ahead.  Solid yellow lines normally seen on winding or undulating roads urge us “Strictly no overtaking (due to blind corner)”.  Very strong suggestion, very clear boundary line laid for [your] protection.

The bible says that for those free “in Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2; i.e. believers), ‘“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial.’ (1 Cor. 6:12).

Can you overtake at a blind corner?  Sure you can.  But not without very high risk.  You may have seen some get away unscathed by overtaking on a blind curve beside a ridge or at the crest of a road, but would it be wise to risk it?  An incoming truck can quickly make for a very bad day.

Because we love you, we will act on the responsibility of making such “solid yellow lines” as obvious as possible (i.e. in sin issues).  But though the boundary lines will be brought clearly to your attention, the  decision will still be fully yours to make.

 

A paraphrase of 1 Cor. 6:12 is interesting:

Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. (The Message)

Just because eating your bike is lawfully and morally legal doesn’t mean it’d be wise to do so.  But can you?  Sure.  But it won’t benefit you.  It won’t be wise.  The same is applicable in how we go about with our relationships.

 

In going over the relational topics that will be tackled, you’d be encouraged to ask, “Considering what I want to happen in my life, what is the wise thing to do [or decide]? (Eph. 5:15-17; for more on this, check Andy Stanley’s “The Best Question Ever.”)

Why compromise getting to your desired destination in one piece by taking an ill-advised, hardly-thought-about decision in the hope of making up a short amount of time?

How does this look like relationally?  The difference between a good time and a good life.  ”What do we really want?”  It’s supposed to be a rhetorical, a no-brainer of a question.  Sadly, it’s one that we still continually need to ask in order for us  not to sabotage our own lives.

You have a delightful inheritance!  On your way there to claim it, it’d be to your best interest to respect the boundary lines, because they have been put at appropriate (indeed, pleasant) places for you.

But at the end of the day, it’ll be your decision.  Make it count.

Advertisement