from concept to conduct

We’re all cooking in a stew of ideas. Ever notice how there aren’t a lot of great thinkers in our day whose ideas have been revolutionary and new to the extend of changing the shape of the world we live in? It seems gone are the thinkers like Marx, Darwin and C.S. Lewis, who, with a few carefully chosen words in print can mould humanity’s mentalities so considerably? The Teacher in Ecclesiastes was right when he said, “Of writing many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” So many people with so many opinions and so much time to tell their so many opinions to so many people who have their own opinions and on and on it goes. The institution of the University thrives on this type of system of attempting to come up with a brilliant new idea, put it in print with your name beside it, and someone will call you “Doctor.”

Probably what God wants more than people who think they know something, is people who do something. Conduct – at the end of the day this is what matters to God. On judgment day, God will never ask us what philosophy we were able to comprehend, or what concepts we conjured up. Rather he’ll say, “I know your works!” Even as I sit hear writing, all I can think of is who will read this and say, “wow, what deep thoughts!” what a wretched man I am! Sure, we gotta use our brains, they are an indispensable tool and weapon in our spirituality, but thinking thoughts for the sake of impressing others is completely missing the point and is pride par excellence - even if it is theology and apologetics that you have mastered. According to Romans 12, renewing our minds is a function of already having offered our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. The discernment of the will of God comes after the body has been offered to God in worship - this is talking about deeds! How ashamed would I be if I were to fill my head with brilliant ideas, but to leave my hands empty and unused for God’s purposes!