On Finding the will of God: A Message of the class of 2010

Over the course of the last two centuries, a popular theology has emerged that remains in many of today's churches. This doctrine suggests that God has a hidden "perfect" will that we must somehow "find." It may surprise you to know that I believe this doctrine is an unfortunate heresy of the modern church that has imprisoned many godly believers in fear. As the class of 2010 prepares to graduate, I cannot think of a more appropriate time to explain why I believe this is so.

Theologians look at God's will from a number of angles. For the purpose of this article, I will focus upon two of them. I like to think of these two glances at God's will as a kaleidoscopic view of the same thing. When you first look through a kaleidoscope, you see a beautiful, intricate design. When you spin it, you continue to view the same subject, but it looks very different. As I express some thoughts on the matter of "God's will" as applied to our lives, I will discuss them in terms of two "kaleidoscopic" views.

The first look through the kaleidoscope presents God's "preceptive" will. Don't get lost in the word; essentially, it means that God has particular desires for the way we will behave and live. He has told us "how things work best" in the world He made. It is His will, for instance, that we will not kill or steal; that we love our enemies; that we worship Him; and that we will care for others. These are all biblical precepts from which we can learn as we study Scripture, and they are in no way hidden from us.

As we "spin the kaleidoscope," however, we look at the will of God from another perspective. God's "preceptive" will does not always match His "decretive" will. When it comes to a discussion of the decretive will of God, we must begin with an understanding that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. At the very least, He sovereignly "permits" (dare I say that He "orchestrates") every event that comes to pass in human history.

An example will help contrast these two views of God's will. Was it His will (preceptive) that the Fall of mankind might take place in the Garden of Eden? No. God never said to man, "I hope that you will choose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Man did it anyway. On the other hand, was the Fall of mankind God's will in the second (decretive) sense? Absolutely; He ordained that it would come to pass, and it did.

Confused yet? The study of theology always reminds me that I am a finite being with limited understanding, and that He is infinite-beyond our understanding. I love thinking through theological perspectives, but I also realize that not everyone loves what I love. So, I move on to the practical application of this mini-lesson in theology.

As a senior in high school, I remember staring my future in the face with an incredible sense of anxiety. Where does God want me to go to college? What does He want me to do with my life? How will I know who I should marry? Where should I work? As these questions flooded my mind, I wish I had had a better understanding of the theology I have just outlined. I have learned two lessons in particular that I believe are relevant for all believers.

First, I am increasingly aware that our sovereign God has already decreed a perfect plan for my life. I don't have to find it; it has already been ordained. You ask, "What if I marry the 'wrong' person?" You won't. "What if I pursue the 'wrong' career path?" You can't. Here is where the doctrine of the "perfect will" of God gets in the way and causes unnecessary anxiety. God has a plan for your life and, no matter what you do, you cannot thwart His will.

Consider this "real life" example: If you accept the wrong job offer, then that means that the person who was supposed to have the job you now occupy is also in the "wrong" place. And what about the person whose job he took? She is in the wrong place, too. And what about the person who is working in the job where you were "supposed" to be employed? And so the dominoes fall. If we accept that God has a hidden "perfect" will that we may or may not find, then when we make a mis-step and "miss" God's will, we cause everyone else in the world to miss His will for their lives, too. Now, that's pressure! I submit to you, however, that we simply do not have such power to make a cosmic mess. Our God's sovereign, decreed will is coming to pass no matter what we do; praise Him for that!

The second lesson I have learned since becoming an adult is that, in His Scriptures, our merciful God has provided us with principles and precepts that we can (and should) apply to daily Christian living-and they must guide life's decisions, both big and small. What he "wants" for our lives is anything but hidden or mysterious; it is revealed in His Living Word. Our job as His children is to study His Word diligently under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we might learn more about the precepts He has set forth for us.

While you cannot "miss the boat" on His decretive will, you certainly can ignore His preceptive will. "What if I do miss His (perceptive) will?" you ask? Do not be paralyzed by fear; instead, rest in knowing that whatever happens and whatever decisions you make are part of His grand plan for your life. As Psalm 139:16 puts it, "All the days were ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So, the sum of the message I want to share with this year's graduates (and with our broader community) is this: As you consider your future, there are two things you need to do when it comes to "finding" God's will for your life. First, delight yourself in the Lord, and make choices in light of His Word and the precepts it teaches. This requires continued study of Scripture, as well as wise counsel from Godly men and women who thoroughly know His Word. My prayer for you, then, is that you will choose your future spouse not based primarily upon feelings (which are neither constant or reliable), but based upon the individual's godliness, integrity, and character. Likewise, I pray that you choose your college and career path based upon how God has gifted you, upon the integrity of the employer you serve, upon the opportunities to minister for and learn about Jesus Christ, and upon other similar biblically-derived precepts. Wherever He puts you, just grow where you are planted, and live as He has called you to live.

Second, you must trust in His sovereignty, knowing that you will never fall out of His perfect plan for your life. Even if you do make sinful choices that do not align with His (preceptive) will, He has a purpose and a plan for those choices. So, make your choices, and keep moving. This point is not meant to give you license to sin, but to keep you from becoming paralyzed with fear that you will "miss out" on God's will. When you discover that you have not followed His precepts, repent. When sinful choices cause lasting effects upon your life, learn from them. But, as you learn, rest in the knowledge that this was part of His decreed perfect plan for your life. Our God is sovereign, and you are not beyond His reach!

In the end, my dear students, what I want you to know above all is that our God does not call us to a quest for some mysterious, elusive will that we must seek to discover. Instead, He provides His Word in full view, and He tells us to allow it to guide and direct our lives as the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to its Truths. Choose to follow that instead of your heart's whims, and you will not be misled. May God bless you richly as you are launched in the world, fully equipped to, as our school's mission statement says, "...impact the world for Christ."

Buttons and Shoelaces

March, 2010. When my daughter was in kindergarten, I struggled to teach her how to tie her shoes. After a demonstration or two, it became clear that she didn't want my input. "I want to do it myself," she insisted. "How can a child learn to tie her shoe laces without help?" I thought. After a few brief moments of continued explanation, I realized that I wasn't going to get very far. Madeline had already made up her mind that she was going to do it, and that was final! So, I left her alone to keep working at it, and I went on with my day. A few hours later, she came running to me, "Daddy! Daddy! I've got it!" She was so proud of her accomplishment; I was proud of her, too.

The next night, as my children slipped into their pajamas before bed, it struck me that Maddie knew how to button her own pajamas. Not remembering a time when my wife or I had taught her to do so, I asked her how she had learned. She smiled and replied, "I just figured it out, Daddy!"

With two simple encounters, my daughter tangibly reminded me of a lesson from my professional training. Research, educational literature, and classroom experience have taught me to let children learn by discovery - by "figuring it out." However, when it came to teaching (and parenting) my own child, the instinct to protect - in this case, from frustration and failure - got in my daughter's way. Maybe father didn't know best after all.

I believe this illustration is instructive for us not only as educators, but also as parents. Too often, our instincts tell us to jump in and fix our children's problems for them. In our well-intended efforts to protect our children, we often rob them of the opportunities to learn to solve problems, handle disappointment, and fight their own battles. We also take away the pride and success that comes from having "figured it out." With the best of intentions, we frequently "over-parent" our children.

Likewise, in school, these young ones often need to figure out life for themselves. They can learn on their own how to stay organized; to keep up with their own homework; to track their own academic progress; to resolve their own conflicts; and to ask their teachers for help. They need to be adaptable to the teacher or coach whose teaching or coaching doesn't match the child's preferred learning style. They need opportunities to learn how to handle disappointment. Perhaps not getting an award, or not making the athletic team isn't so bad for our kids after all. It's only natural for us to emotionally respond to our children's hurts. Yet, while "have it your way" may have been a successful tag line for Burger King, using such an approach to parenting is detrimental to our quest to raise children who become mature, godly young men and women who are prepared to succeed in adulthood.

There's much to be learned from buttons and shoe laces. May God give us the grace and wisdom to be parents who prepare our children for the road of life. Perhaps more importantly, may He also give us the grace and wisdom to ensure that we do not choose instead to prepare the road of life for our children.

No Mediocrity Accepted

January, 2010. Within the last twelve months, more than four hundred Christian Schools in our nation have closed. Their closure profoundly saddens me, but do you know what troubles me more? My personal struggle with a sense that they needed to do so.

In an effort to educate young people "Christianly," many well- intentioned and God-fearing people across the globe start Christian schools. However, too often, they financially manage these schools poorly, underfund them, overextend them, and hire unqualified faculty to run them. I believe this hurts the very heart of our God; there is nothing pleasing to Him about mediocrity.

If we are to fulfill Christ's calling for Christian schooling, we must pursue excellence in all things. We must hire the most highly qualified staff, pursue the highest accreditation standards, develop excellent curriculum, and sustain an overall excellent, continually improving program. When the name of Christ is attached to a school, those who lead it must settle for no less than being a beacon of excellence to other educators--both Christian and non-Christian alike. Does this mean that a Christian School can and must be perfect? Of course not. Does it mean that it must not stop trying? Absolutely.

I look forward to the day when North Hills Christian School will be a resource, model, and light for other Christian schooling ministries. In fact, I'm beginning to taste it. We should become a resource for other schools not because we want to be superior, but because we can and should be an institution that equips other ministries for kingdom work.

North Hills has a tremendously qualified and strong faculty, competent leadership throughout, and excellent curriculum. Even a quick perusal of this newsletter is telling: we are on the verge of some tremendous breakthroughs. Great things are happening.

As we continue to press forward with the vision the Lord has given us for NHCS, I want to call our community to a few things. First, I call you to settle for no less than the best. We must have a mutual commitment to see NHCS become a school that fully achieves its mission to "equip hearts and minds of students to impact the world for Christ." That means that we must not only provide a biblically centered approach, but that we must also provide a first class education. North Hills Christian School has a great program, but it can always be better.

Second, I call you to get involved. The best schools in the world are communities where the various stakeholders come together and work to create a phenomenal educational community. Many hands make for light work!

Third, I call you to an opportunity to give to the Lord's work. Excellent schools are bathed in prayer and surrounded by a community of believers, but they are fueled by money. God does not suspend the laws of economics for Christian Schools. If we are to move NHCS forward, we need to fully fund the school's programs.

Finally and most importantly, I call you to prayer. Where God is at work, Satan attacks. He does not like what the Lord is doing in our midst, and he would desire nothing more than to see it come to a screeching stop. Pray for His hand of protection on North Hills Christian School, its teachers, its students, and their families.

It has been a blessing to serve the NHCS community over the last seven years, and I look forward to working together, shoulder to shoulder, to continue the Lord's work in our increasingly excellent Christian School ministry.

More than a Birth

December, 2009. As we prepare for Christmas to arrive in a few short days, I am reminded of the first two verses of one of my favorite hymns. The song is public domain, so I have reprinted the verses here; I urge you to take time to reflect upon them:

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

As we celebrate Christmas each year, we picture the precious little baby boy lying on a bale of hay in a manger. Surrounded by his proud new parents; three wise men; a shepherd and his animals; and a host of angels, our precious baby Jesus was born. A silent night. A holy night, indeed.

I wonder, though: at Christmastime, do we give enough heed to the purpose for that precious baby's birth? After all, Jesus was not just any baby. If that night simply marked another baby's birth, why should the whole world celebrate?

Dear friends, on that silent and holy night, our King of kings and Lord of lords came to earth to die a brutal death for you and me. As you celebrate His birth, I urge you to also spend time reflecting with your loved ones upon our sin; His death; His Resurrection; and His subsequent saving grace. Re-read this hymn. Sing it. Proclaim it. As you do, I pray that you and yours will be drawn closer to our beautiful Savior. May He richly bless you and your households this Christmas season.

A Vision for the future of Christian Schools

November, 2009. One could argue that Christian education began when our Lord Jesus walked the earth. In many ways, He was the first Christian School teacher. However, Christian schooling as a movement is still relatively young. In fact, the first national network of Christian schools was formed in 1920. The founding of Christian Schools International (CSI) marked an effort to become intentional about providing an education that was thoroughly and authentically biblical. Grounded in the Reformed faith, CSI became the pioneer national organization to set out to form exemplary Christian Schools. They had a vision for Christian education that was transformational in nature - something more than Christian teachers working in a Christian environment with a dash of Bible and prayer thrown in.

Those who founded CSI believed in at least three key distinctives of Christian education.

First, they desired to provide an education that was thoroughly and intentionally taught through the lens of a biblical worldview. The pioneers saw the business of educating children about God as being of paramount importance, but they believed that education about the Creator of the Universe necessarily takes many forms. They acknowledged that God has revealed Himself in both His Scriptures (Special Revelation) and in the world He created (General Revelation). In turn, these Christian educators recognized that it was important to study both God's Word and His world - and that the study of one should not take precedence over the other except insofar as: 1) Scripture outlines the plan of salvation, and 2) Scripture must be the lens that brings the study of God's world into proper focus

Second, the founders of CSI wanted to produce schools that trained up students who would become agents of Christ's Redemption to a lost and fallen world. They wanted to create institutions that would launch graduates driven to cultural transformation using the skills attained in their educational experience. Recognizing that people are not primarily won to the Christian faith through intellectual arguments, but as the result of witnessing lives lived in service and devotion to God, the pioneers of Christian education had a vision for Christian schools that prepared students to be agents of God's shalom (His peace).

Third, the organization set out to form Christian schools that would equip students to become intelligent, discerning Christian thinkers. Recognizing the biblical calling to be salt and light in the world, our Christian school forerunners had a vision for schools that would produce well-educated Christian citizens who would be thoroughly equipped to have a voice - an educated voice - in a world that was increasingly hostile to the Christian faith.

In 1978, the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), in which North Hills Christian School was a charter member, was formed. While CSI produced a national organization of Reformed Christian Schools, ACSI emerged with a similar vision, but in a broader focus and context. ACSI formed the first global association of theologically conservative, but broadly evangelical Christian Schools. Today, with thousands of member schools around the globe, ACSI is arguably the strongest and most respected Christian school association in the world.

I believe the history of the Christian School movement in America is instructive for North Hills Christian School and for today's Christian school movement. The potency of the mission and vision of the pioneers is needed in twenty-first century society even more than it was needed thirty years ago, when ACSI was founded. It is certainly needed more than ninety years ago, when CSI was founded.

Today, however, more families choose Christian Schools for what they "are not" than choose them for what they "are." If families enter our doors in an effort to avoid what they see in other schools, that is okay. However, if they remain in our institutions for the same reasons as they came, we have failed to cultivate the necessary commitment to sustain our mission.

If they are to produce a sustainable vision for the future, today's Christian Schools must look to the past. It is more critical than ever that stakeholders in these institutions share a common commitment to producing students who are thoroughly equipped to engage, minister to, evangelize, and transform a broken world for the sake of the Kingdom. May it always be the case that the vision of the pioneers of the Christian Schooling movement and of the founders of NHCS will remain the very blood that pumps through the heart and veins of our institution.