The Object of Life

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding one’s self in the ranks of the insane " (Marcus Aurelius).

In▪sane : harebrained: very foolish (Princeton Online Dictionary).

I first heard this quote the other day in the midst of a political discussion, and it interested me. I started to wonder if there was any spiritual application.

Often, we are tempted to live our lives among the majority. It can be easy to jump onto the bandwagon of wrong and sinful behavior when everyone around us has invested so much of themselves in it. This simply teaches us that we need to be careful when it comes to who we surround ourselves with because we know that the majority will not be righteous (Matthew 7:13).

So I knew that the object was to not "be on the side of the majority," but is it really appropriate to say we must avoid "the ranks of the insane"? It certainly would seem so when we take a look at one of Princeton’s definitions of the word. That definition, shown above, says that to be insane is to be very foolish. This reminded me of Ephesians 5:15. It is insane and foolish behavior to walk around without paying attention to what’s going on, and that’s what much of the world does.

Let us remember always to take great care when it comes to what we do and who we do it with, and not just accept the modern and popular thought of the day.

-Jason Budd

Great Expectations

Expectations. Everyone has them. Husbands. Wives. Parents. Children. Employers. Employees. Teachers. Students.

We all anticipate certain things from the people around us. Expectations have actually been around longer than mankind. They began with God. As the Creator, He had every right to make His expectations known, and has done so in the book we call the Bible. One of the Father’s expectations is that we, as His children, would have expectations of one another.

Specifically, what do you expect when it comes to preaching? May I suggest the expectation that preaching be both practical and persuasive? The responsibility of any proclaimer of the “good news” is to challenge his audience to consider God’s message to mankind and how it must be applied to everyday life. Examine the great speeches made throughout the Scriptures and you will find calls for courage, pleas for faithfulness, and challenges to change or continue, as the need dictated. Simply stated, preaching is intended to ignite the will of people (persuasion) either to make corrections or to persevere in their habits of living (practicality), using God’s Word as the source.

An excellent example is Titus 2:1-10 where Paul commands Titus to “speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine ” and goes on to detail the intended result – a practical change in the lives of older men, older women, younger men, and younger women. Isn’t that the ultimate goal? Even today, God’s people should not only expect, they should demand that evangelists “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction ” (2 Timothy 4:1-2).

Today marks a new beginning. A fresh start. A new chapter. But in whatever way the situations and people change around us, two things remain constant. The glory belongs to God and He is most glorified when His will is faithfully proclaimed and applied. Don’t ever lose that expectation.

-Jason Hardin