Ask yourself the best question ever
As the year and the decade come to a close, let me leave you with a little nugget of insight to carry into 2010.
Several months ago my father-in-law gave me a set of CDs to listen to. They are podcasts of a six-part sermon series from Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia.
(Now, before you check out and think I’m going to get all preachy on you, hang with me here. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate this.)
I put the CDs aside and forgot about them until they surfaced last week. Being between audio books, I put them in my car and listened. Wow! I regret not listening sooner. The series was titled “The Best Question Ever.” I think it was from 2004, but the principle is timeless.
The question is a simple one: Is it wise?
The idea is to examine each of your actions and decisions through a filter of wisdom. Ask yourself, is it wise? In light of your past experience, current situation and your future hopes and dreams, is the thing you are contemplating the wise or prudent thing to do?
It is a simple question to ask, but one that we often don’t want to answer. It makes you think out the consequences of whatever you are contemplating.
Oftentimes the answer will be a no-brainer, but you still have to ask the question. Say for example you wanted to buy a new boat. There’s nothing wrong or immoral about that. There is nothing in the Bible that says you shouldn’t have a boat. It’s not against the law. In fact, it could even be beneficial.
But is it the wise thing to do in light of where you are in life and where you want to go? Is the boat worth the debt, or do you have the money set aide in savings? Will the boat consume your time or will it be something your whole family can enjoy together? If you have to go into debt for it, are you willing to make the sacrifice for it? What will you have to sacrifice – your child’s college education, replacing your wife’s old car, fixing the roof?
If money is no object and having the boat will bring your family together for hours of outdoor fun and recreation, then by all means, it might be a wise thing to do. But if it’s going to put you in debt, making it a strain to make ends meet, and/or it will take you away from your family each weekend, then it might not be a wise purchase.
Guys, where are you going to point your Web browser when no one else is looking? Would the Website be something you want to share with your wife and children? How would you feel if your wife or children were looking at similar sites? If you are at work, would your boss approve?
Gals, do you have a need to get together with your girlfriends and rag on your husband/boyfriend? Is what you have to say about him beneficial? Will it make everyone feel better? Would you want him to hear what you have to say? Do you really want him to be the subject of that kind of gossip?
You can apply this simple rule – this filter for living – to every aspect of your life. It’s not just for moral or ethical dilemmas. The major areas Stanley hit upon were time, money and relationships. Imagine how much better your life could be if you asked yourself this question frequently. You would probably have more money, better relationships, a closer family and fewer regrets than you do by not asking yourself that question.
It pays to sift your desire for instant gratification through a filer of wisdom. It teaches you to be self-controlled and disciplined. It keeps you from making mistakes that will have lasting implications. It’s amazing how even small decisions we make on the fly can have consequences that last for a long time, even a lifetime.
It only takes a moment to stop and think about what we are doing. Filtering our actions through wisdom can have profoundly beneficial results in our lives. It can make marriages and families stronger. It can make us more productive at work. It can make us more caring and giving in our communities. It can make us wealthier. Properly applied, it can make us skinnier or more fit.
That is some pretty profound advice. And like I said, you don’t have to be a Christian to apply this to your life. It is based on solid Christian principles, but it applies to every person universally.
So, as you go into the coming year and decade, I hope this little nugget of wisdom will help you make your future everything that you want it to be. May you be blessed and your life enriched as you apply this principle to your life.
Several months ago my father-in-law gave me a set of CDs to listen to. They are podcasts of a six-part sermon series from Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia.
(Now, before you check out and think I’m going to get all preachy on you, hang with me here. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate this.)
I put the CDs aside and forgot about them until they surfaced last week. Being between audio books, I put them in my car and listened. Wow! I regret not listening sooner. The series was titled “The Best Question Ever.” I think it was from 2004, but the principle is timeless.
The question is a simple one: Is it wise?
The idea is to examine each of your actions and decisions through a filter of wisdom. Ask yourself, is it wise? In light of your past experience, current situation and your future hopes and dreams, is the thing you are contemplating the wise or prudent thing to do?
It is a simple question to ask, but one that we often don’t want to answer. It makes you think out the consequences of whatever you are contemplating.
Oftentimes the answer will be a no-brainer, but you still have to ask the question. Say for example you wanted to buy a new boat. There’s nothing wrong or immoral about that. There is nothing in the Bible that says you shouldn’t have a boat. It’s not against the law. In fact, it could even be beneficial.
But is it the wise thing to do in light of where you are in life and where you want to go? Is the boat worth the debt, or do you have the money set aide in savings? Will the boat consume your time or will it be something your whole family can enjoy together? If you have to go into debt for it, are you willing to make the sacrifice for it? What will you have to sacrifice – your child’s college education, replacing your wife’s old car, fixing the roof?
If money is no object and having the boat will bring your family together for hours of outdoor fun and recreation, then by all means, it might be a wise thing to do. But if it’s going to put you in debt, making it a strain to make ends meet, and/or it will take you away from your family each weekend, then it might not be a wise purchase.
Guys, where are you going to point your Web browser when no one else is looking? Would the Website be something you want to share with your wife and children? How would you feel if your wife or children were looking at similar sites? If you are at work, would your boss approve?
Gals, do you have a need to get together with your girlfriends and rag on your husband/boyfriend? Is what you have to say about him beneficial? Will it make everyone feel better? Would you want him to hear what you have to say? Do you really want him to be the subject of that kind of gossip?
You can apply this simple rule – this filter for living – to every aspect of your life. It’s not just for moral or ethical dilemmas. The major areas Stanley hit upon were time, money and relationships. Imagine how much better your life could be if you asked yourself this question frequently. You would probably have more money, better relationships, a closer family and fewer regrets than you do by not asking yourself that question.
It pays to sift your desire for instant gratification through a filer of wisdom. It teaches you to be self-controlled and disciplined. It keeps you from making mistakes that will have lasting implications. It’s amazing how even small decisions we make on the fly can have consequences that last for a long time, even a lifetime.
It only takes a moment to stop and think about what we are doing. Filtering our actions through wisdom can have profoundly beneficial results in our lives. It can make marriages and families stronger. It can make us more productive at work. It can make us more caring and giving in our communities. It can make us wealthier. Properly applied, it can make us skinnier or more fit.
That is some pretty profound advice. And like I said, you don’t have to be a Christian to apply this to your life. It is based on solid Christian principles, but it applies to every person universally.
So, as you go into the coming year and decade, I hope this little nugget of wisdom will help you make your future everything that you want it to be. May you be blessed and your life enriched as you apply this principle to your life.
posted by Joe Southern | 8:23 AM
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