I will devote space at the beginning of each week to share thoughts of others who are much more intelligent and insightful than I, with the hope that their words encourage and challenge you as much as they have me. This weeks thoughts are from Andy Stanley's book: The Best Question Ever
Typically when making choices, we run our options and opportunities through a more generic and far less helpful grid. There are several variations, but basically the question we ask ourselves is this: Is there anything wrong with it?
The assumption is that if there is nothing wrong with what we’re doing, it must be okay. If it is not illegal, unethical, or immoral, then it qualifies as a live option, right? Biblically speaking, if there is not a “Thou shalt not” associated with it, then it’s safe to assume it qualifies as a “Thou certainly shalt if thou please.”
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking sets us up for another question that we rarely verbalize or even allow to surface to the level of conscious thought. Yet if we are honest, this is a question that drives far too many of our choices. It goes something like this: How close can I get to the line between right and wrong without actually doing something wrong? The Christian version goes like this: How close to sin can I actually get without sinning?
This is a question that every teenage guy has asked in some way at some point in his dating career. It’s a question everyone on a diet asks every day. It is a question attorneys make a living asking on behalf of their clients.
But it does not stop there. Inevitably, once we have come this far we find ourselves asking, How far over the line of right and wrong can I go without experiencing consequences? In other words, how unethical, immoral, or insensitive can I be without suffering any unmanageable outcomes? How long can I neglect my family, finances, or professional responsibilities without feeling the effects? How far over the speed limit can I drive without getting pulled over? How far can I indulge in an addictive behavior without actually becoming addicted?
It is a slippery slope, both subtle and sinister. It all begins so innocently by asking what seems to be a noble question, Is there anything wrong with it? But it ultimately leads to yet another question. One we have all asked at one time or another: How did I get myself into this mess?
The Best Question Ever
Typically when making choices, we run our options and opportunities through a more generic and far less helpful grid. There are several variations, but basically the question we ask ourselves is this: Is there anything wrong with it?
The assumption is that if there is nothing wrong with what we’re doing, it must be okay. If it is not illegal, unethical, or immoral, then it qualifies as a live option, right? Biblically speaking, if there is not a “Thou shalt not” associated with it, then it’s safe to assume it qualifies as a “Thou certainly shalt if thou please.”
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking sets us up for another question that we rarely verbalize or even allow to surface to the level of conscious thought. Yet if we are honest, this is a question that drives far too many of our choices. It goes something like this: How close can I get to the line between right and wrong without actually doing something wrong? The Christian version goes like this: How close to sin can I actually get without sinning?
This is a question that every teenage guy has asked in some way at some point in his dating career. It’s a question everyone on a diet asks every day. It is a question attorneys make a living asking on behalf of their clients.
But it does not stop there. Inevitably, once we have come this far we find ourselves asking, How far over the line of right and wrong can I go without experiencing consequences? In other words, how unethical, immoral, or insensitive can I be without suffering any unmanageable outcomes? How long can I neglect my family, finances, or professional responsibilities without feeling the effects? How far over the speed limit can I drive without getting pulled over? How far can I indulge in an addictive behavior without actually becoming addicted?
It is a slippery slope, both subtle and sinister. It all begins so innocently by asking what seems to be a noble question, Is there anything wrong with it? But it ultimately leads to yet another question. One we have all asked at one time or another: How did I get myself into this mess?
The Best Question Ever
"If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people." 
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4 comments:
i love, love this book. i think it is fantastic that you are putting this on your blog. if everyone could read this and apply it having the right perspective....we would be living life at the higher standard God calls us to live. great post!
I took your recommendation and read this book a couple months ago. He is a great writer and an easy read (which is perfect for me). He has great insight and provides usable tools for decision making and life choices. Easily one of the best books I've ever read.
i loved this book too. they are offering it as one of the home team discussion guides. i hope many people will go through it. it's life changing.
I JUST bought this book. Looking forward to reading it! I am just about to finish "In A Pit With A Lion"...about Beneniah (David's Body Guard)...It's AWESOME!!!!
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