“Finding Your One Thing”

Ephesians 2:3-10

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Series: "From Success To Significance"

Introduction: Religious Philosopher Blaise Pascal once said: “I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room…What people want is not the easy peaceful life that allows us to think of our unhappy condition, nor the dangers of war, nor the burdens of office, but the agitation that takes our mind off it and diverts us. That is why we prefer the hunt to the capture. That is why men are so fond of hustle and bustle; that is why prison is such a fearful punishment; that is why the pleasures of solitude are so incomprehensible.” Now some of you may like to be alone. But what Pascal is saying here is that we want to be busy, because when we are busy we don’t have to think about our lives; we don’t have to think about how we are unhappy; we don’t have to stop and reflect upon how we are not accomplishing much with our lives.

This morning, as we continue our series in the book “From Success to Significance,” we are going to learn how to take stock of our lives, and get a better feel for what God wishes us to do. Or as Soren Kierkegaard said: “The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…to find the idea for which I can live and die.”

I. Taking Stock- (2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 139:23-24)

Sports are very popular in our society. There are many reasons for this. A sport gives you good exercise. Many of the sports teach you how to work as a team. Sports help you to increase your motor skills. But more than this, it is about competition. There is something innate in us that likes to be competitive; to keep score; to keep statistics; to challenge ourselves against the skill of another. And because of this, we often enjoy the thrill of the chase and the competition more than the conquest.

Going back to Kierkegaard; he said: “If I were a doctor and were asked for my advice, I should reply: Create Silence.” In many sports, there is a half time. Half time is that time to evaluate how you are playing the game, and how you can do better in the second half. Half time can’t be a noisy place, because there is the need to think, and reflect, and plan, and become better prepared.

It is interesting that at Harvard Business School, there is a workshop called “Age of Options.” This workshop is designed to ensure participants “that their next career phase is fulfilling” and has purpose. This tells us that even in the business world, there is an understanding that we have a nature that at times feels the need for change. Because this is natural, we should be aware of how this can impact our lives and help us to do more with what God has given us.

To do this, we need to ask questions like: What is my passion? Where do I belong? What do I believe? What will I do with what I believe? What are my values? Now those of you who have gone through the Focused Living Process have begun to work through many of these questions. But here are some general categories that can help us with find the right answers to these questions. If you’d like to follow along better, these are written in the outline in your bulletin.

1. Make Peace- The first step is to “make peace” with our past. Making

peace is about learning how to get over the regrets of our past. We all have things that we have done in the past that we are not happy about; that we are not proud of. But we can’t dwell on the past. Since we can’t go back and undo past mistakes, the best thing we can do is to give the past to God, and know that God can use our past to help our present and future to be meaningful. We can also learn from our past so that we will do better in the future. When we can do this, we will be at a peaceful place, and we will be ready to move forward.

2. Take Time- The next step is to “take time.” As we have just talked about

mistakes, let me mention an important mistake that most of us make: not taking enough time on the things that are really important. Often times we make this mistake because we are not disciplined, and we don’t have good time management. One area where we need to “take time” is to get away from the crowd so we can regularly reflect on what is important in our lives. We can’t make time for the important things if we don’t know what the important things are.

3. Be Deliberate- Third, is to be deliberate. Being deliberate is about having

structure to your “away time.” It isn’t enough to get away from the crowd to think. If you don’t have an agenda of what you want to accomplish, you won’t accomplish much. To be deliberate also means that you ask yourself questions that direct you in the right way. Questions like: Am I missing anything in my life right now? What am I passionate about? What do I value? Where do I want to be in 10 years? What gifts has God given me? What is causing stress in my life?

4. Share the Journey- Next, we need to have someone in our lives who will

share the journey. This could be your spouse, a good friend, or even your pastor. In my mentoring sessions, after we get through the vision statement, I always ask this question: “Who are you going to tell this to, so that they can help keep you accountable?” If we don’t have someone in our lives that is walking with us in this process, the chances of moving forward as you want become less likely.

5. Be Honest- Next, we need to be honest. It is easy to allow ourselves to

fantasize. But if we are not realistic with our goals, then we won’t achieve what we are really passionate about. Now, I’m not saying you can’t daydream. But in regards to moving forward into the life God has for you, we have to seek what is real. So to move forward, you have to learn who the “real you” is. This is also where a trusted friend can be invaluable. They will help us to discover our genuine self.

6. Be Patient- Sixth, is to be patient. We have to have the context of time

that God has. We are told in 2 Peter 3:8- “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” We can’t change our lives overnight. We can’t change our bad habits immediately. Change takes time, and we must be patient with ourselves during this time of transition. It also will take time for the full picture of who God wants us to be to become clear.

7. Have Faith- Last, is to have faith. Our faith is important to us, and will

help us to have the strength we need to trust God as we move forward. Our faith also is what leads us to answer the important question, “What will I do about what I believe?” Letting our faith guide us will help us to listen better, and will help us to have a filter through which we can make the right decisions for our lives.

This idea of taking stock is what the psalmist was doing in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

II. What Do You Believe? (Proverbs 3:5-6)

a. Understanding God- This idea of our faith is vitally important,

and something I want to talk about more. Our faith is what gives us a quiet confidence, because when we know the God of the universe, and know that this God is there for us, then we can live with great surety that all will be well. So if we can seek God out, and trust God when we find Him, then God will lead us to the promise land.

We know God to be both simple and complex. He is complex in that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and a personal Almighty God. If we think back to our series in September about the characteristics of God, we know God to be complex. But the problem comes when all we try to do is understand who God is. This will leave us wanting, and in the end won’t be all that helpful in living the life we are called to live.

At some point we have to move from wanting to understand God, to wanting “to know” God. This is an important transition. When our faith leads us to only understand God, we are not moved to do anything with what we believe. We can hold on to this mental knowledge, and be okay with what we know. But God is not a God of information, but a God of action. And God wants us to be active in our faith!

We have complicated one of the simplest truths of the Bible: believe on the Lord and you will be saved. According to God’s word, becoming a Christian is an act of acceptance and belief. Accept Jesus as the Son of God and believe that He alone can save you from sin. You don’t need to wrestle with belief, because it is settled. Unfortunately, too many people get stuck here.

b. Knowing God- Illustration: THE BUZZARD- I don’t know if you

know much about the buzzard, buy if you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 ft. by 8 ft. and is entirely open at the top, this bird that can fly will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner in this pen with no top!

Unfortunately, too many Christians are in this same sort of prison. They have a faith in Jesus, and they understand many things about God, but they have failed to look up and let Jesus lead them forward into the life they are called to live. They have put God into a box, and therefore cannot move from belief to action. Because God is in this box, they aren’t allowing God to determine what should be important in their life. And when you don’t let God lead you in this, it gets chosen for you. It could be your job, it could be the quest for money, it could be the desire to have material possessions. But something is important to you, and it is not God!

I hope you see why it is important to settle this issue. We let the busyness of our lives, and the chaos of the world misdirect us. But we have to say “stop,” so that we can look up to God. We have to say “stop,” so that we can hear God’s still, small voice speaking to us. We have to say “stop,” so that we can be playing the game we are supposed to be playing.

If you want your life to have meaning and significance, you must look to God. As we are told in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not paths on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your straight.”

III. Finding Your One Thing- (Ephesians 2:10)

a. City Slickers- We are reminded of this in the Billy Crystal movie

City Slickers. In this clip we see Jack Palance (who plays a wild cowboy), and Billy Crystal (who is from the city) riding together. Billy Crystal has paid for a two-week dude ranch vacation, but while on this vacation realizes that he is getting more than he bargained for. As they are riding together, Palance says something to Billy Crystal that seems pretty profound, especially for a cowboy. Let’s see the clip…

b. The core desire of the soul- What Jack Palance says is actually a

parable that uncovers a deep truth. But because we are so busy we tend to miss this important truth. There is indeed “one thing” in our lives that should be most important; one thing that brings perspective to our lives; one core desire of the soul. And the sad truth is that most people never discover their “one thing.” People desperately long to find it, but they’re not sure where to look.

Larry Crabb, the author of “Inside Out,” refers to this longing as a desire to fill a “hollow place located centrally within us…the core desire of the soul.” God has programmed us with this “one thing” into our lives like computer software. The apostle Paul talks about it like this in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This good work is that most essential part of you.

In the focused living training, we talk about finding this “one thing” by discovering your passion. God has made each one of us passionate about something. For some it is working with children. With others it is art or music. And still for others it is the desire to help others who can’t help themselves. We have this passion inside of us. We might even know what it is. But something keeps us from living it out. Maybe it is because we haven’t taken the time to discover it. Maybe it is because we don’t think we can make a living at it. Or maybe it is something that others around us won’t think is worthwhile.

I remember when I discovered that I wanted to be a minister. I had finished college with a music education degree. I had been accepted into the teacher credential program. I thought I was going to be a teacher. But then God led me to realize that I was to be a minister. I went to tell my parents of this change, and it did not go over well at first. My dad was concerned with whether I could make enough money to live. My mom was concerned that I wouldn’t be using the education I had. We will face challenges when we find our “one thing.”

Conclusion: What is your purpose? What makes you tick? What energizes you? What is your passion? It isn’t until we seek to move to the second half of our faith that we start answering these questions. Peter Drucker likens this to the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things. Unfortunately, like Jack Palance, I can’t tell you what your “one thing” is. You have to discover that for yourself. But I can tell you that if you take the time to take stock of your life, and begin to move your faith into action, and start living out your passions, then you will find where you need to be, and will have a significant and meaningful life. Amen.