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Baker Publishing Group - Dennis Rainey

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52 pages

English

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Seven Key Ways to Live a Life That MattersWe live in a culture that permits everything, surrounded by people skimming the surface of life, trying to piece together meaning from ever-shifting truths and fleeting fads. But in a world that stands for nothing, you can choose to stand for Something.With warmth and wisdom that only comes from weathering the storms of life, Dennis Rainey shares seven ways to not only build a strong foundation, but to choose to live the life of purpose and potential you were created for. When the winds of culture blow, you will be able to stand firm on the Truth. You will be able to choose a life that matters. A life that makes a difference in the here and now--a life that echoes into eternity.You are at a crossroads of culture and Christianity. Which way will you choose to live?

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	19 septembre 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493414833
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0288€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2017 by Dennis Rainey
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017945475
ISBN 978-1-4934-1483-3
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Emphasis in Scripture, shown by italics, is the author’s.
Unattributed poems are the author’s.
Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Design Source Creative Services.
Author is represented by Wolgemuth & Associates.
Dedication
To Josh Dries To whom I gave my last daughter, Laura Victoria, On October 22, 2016 You are The Man!
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright 4
Dedication 5
Introduction: The Journey 9
1. Seek God, Not Sin 17
2. Fear God, Not Men 31
3. Love God, Not the World 49
4. Believe God, Not the Deceiver 65
5. Obey God, Not Your Feelings 81
6. Worship God, Not Comfort 97
7. Serve God, Not Self 111
Epilogue 123
Notes 126
About the Author 128
Back Cover 129
Introduction
The Journey
I have lived almost seven decades. Most of these years have been adventurous—packed with new vistas, familiar paths, mysteries, messes, mountaintops, and a few dark valleys. All have resulted in discoveries about God, life, self, and people. One of the most important discoveries came from reading A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy and being challenged with his statement: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
I want to tell you two stories that explain why I’ve not been able to get away from that statement for almost half a century.
An Unlikely Messenger
About a decade ago, I received a call from the president of Trinity International University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School informing me that they wanted to confer an honorary doctorate on me for three decades of work on behalf of marriages and families. He then invited me to speak at their commencement ceremonies.
I was humbled to receive such an honor and surprised that they would ask me to address the graduating classes of both the university and the seminary. Although I had a graduate degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, I didn’t have a doctorate. I could picture myself standing in front of hundreds of professors, most of them with PhDs from prestigious institutions, and reading their thoughts: “What’s a guy like him doing in a place like this?”
Even so, I accepted the invitation. Then a second emotion took over: fear. What could I say to the undergrads and seminarians that would be of any value? They’d studied under some of the top biblical scholars in the world. Hadn’t they pretty much heard it all? And so I did what I try to do whenever I’m confronted with an opportunity that taps into my inadequacies: I prayed. For months.
As I prayed I began to think about these students and what they were going to do. Many would go to work for corporations, some would become pastors, others would be teachers, professors, authors, and some would pioneer ministries both domestic and global. Others would take jobs in every imaginable sector of our economy. A few would serve in the military.
Each one would be stepping out of the spiritual incubator of the classroom and into the rushing stream of God’s work. They’d experience life—the challenges and benefits of marriage, children, bills, debt, health issues, and the like—all while attempting to walk with God and faithfully obey Him. Real family life.
A question began to form in my mind: Could I give them, in one message, the essence of what the Bible teaches about what God expects of us? I wasn’t under any delusion that a single message would change their world, but I was determined to prepare something that would contribute to their lives beyond graduation day, something that would help them to choose a life that matters.
As I prayerfully reflected on the major themes of Scripture where I’d experienced God repeatedly in my life, I began crafting life lessons regarding how we are to think about Him, what He expects of us, and how we should relate to Him. I wanted to give them a taste of the marrow of the Christian life. These lessons were shaved and culled, and eventually took the form of seven “essence statements.”
In reviewing “The 7,” I then began to notice that each of these positive commands of Scripture was contrasted with warnings and countering commands. Every “Do this” had a corresponding “Don’t do that.”
Now, I know that walking with God and experiencing the reality of Him cannot be reduced to a list of do’s and don’ts. However, these clear commands of Scripture have served me well as boundaries and have directed my thoughts to God and living for His glory and pleasure. It is in that spirit that I offer them to you in this book.
You might ask, “Are they really ‘THE 7’?” It would be arrogant to claim that I’ve found “THE 7.” My challenge to you is to take a look at these and see if you can find a better seven, or reduce them to two, as Jesus did when He was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” There may be twelve. Send me your pass at it after you’ve tested it for a decade. But anchor them in the Scriptures.
Which brings me to the second story I promised you.
Box Tops and Puzzles
Over the period of nearly a dozen years, I had the high privilege of teaching a sixth grade Sunday school class, totaling more than 550 young men and women. To illustrate our need of the Scriptures, I would divide the classes into three groups of twenty to twenty-five each (they were big classes). I would give each of the three groups a jigsaw puzzle. One group would receive a 1,000-piece puzzle in its original box. Another group would receive a 1,000-piece puzzle, but not in the correct box. Finally, the third group would receive a 1,000-piece puzzle in a paper bag. I would then instruct them not to talk and that they had seven minutes to put as much of their puzzle together as possible.
Every time, the first group would stand up their box top, which displayed what the puzzle should look like, and begin making progress. The second group would look at the box top and attempt to put their puzzle together. After a couple of minutes, they would tell me they’d been tricked and that it wasn’t fair. The third group would empty their pieces from the bag and immediately know that they were at a huge disadvantage. After just a few minutes of trying to assemble a few pieces, their despair would take over and they’d begin tossing puzzle pieces at one another like miniature Frisbees.
After the time was up, I’d gather the class together and explain what they all knew; the right box top was necessary to put the puzzle together. I then shared with them that God knew we’d need a “picture” of who He is, what He is like, and how we as finite creatures can relate to Him, the infinite Creator. This was why God gave us the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s box top that explains Him and life as He designed it to be lived.
I went on to explain that since creation, humankind has been ignoring God’s box top and has been trying on its own to piece life together. But it never turns out as God intends.
This is what I tried to communicate in my commencement address to those university and seminary students. The Bible not only explains who God is, His attributes and character, but it also clearly explains who we are and how God expects us to relate to Him.

The longer I live the more strongly I agree with Mr. Tozer: What we think about God really is the most important thing. And it’s not just that other things will matter less in comparison; it’s that other things won’t matter at all. If we get this one thing wrong or, worse yet, neglect it entirely, life will be essentially meaningless. So if you want a life that matters, your quest for knowing God matters—more than anything else.
God is not some kind of cosmic killjoy, hiding from us. As you’ll read in the pages that follow, He wants us to seek Him, to find Him, know Him, and love Him. He puts himself in our path regularly. Many of the events that we call interruptions, many of the circumstances that we call setbacks, and many of the people that we call difficult are, in reality, God’s agents to introduce us to Him. He has strategically positioned them to help us realize how deeply we need Him, to prove over and over again that all our deficiencies are canceled out by His grace and that all our needs are met in Him.
Oh, what a Savior!
So do not expect to find in these pages a menu of solutions that can be matched against your problems. This will read more like a guidebook for tourists, offering advice for the journey: how to prepare, what places to avoid, and where to go for help and refreshment.
May God be honored in your journey.
—Dennis Rainey November 2016
1 Seek God, Not Sin
For thus says the L ORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live.”
—Amos 5:4
Several years ago, when we first started our Weekend to Remember marriage getaways, I was speaking in Kansas City. Because our ministry budget did not yet allow for spouses to travel along, Barbara was not with me. Af