SoLo Lives! Ministry

Solomon, the wisest, brightest, and wealthiest man who ever lived, had “been there, done that,” but later came to the same conclusion. His words, immortalized in the Book of Ecclesiastes, were penned right in the middle of the “sinkhole” that his life turned out to be. “I enlarged my works, built houses, I planted vineyards made gardens and parks… I bought male and female slaves, flocks and herds, collected silver and gold, became great and increased more than all who preceded me, all that my eyes desired I did not refuse. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccles. 2:4, 7-11).

We join the rat race, buying into the world and everything it offers, only to discover at the end of the line that we have sold our souls. Some have turned into ogres and have been submerged in misery. In Hollywood, for instance, behind the façade of the glitz, glamour, big bucks, and fame, are failed marriages, delinquent children, drug addiction, empty lives, and anguished souls.

So how do we become successful without falling into sinking black holes? The brief passage in Luke 4:42-44 offers a very basic key to living life successfully here and now. “…when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place. And the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.’ And He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea” (Luke 4:42-44). Jesus had just been through a 40-day fast. Hungry and harried by the desert experience, He nonetheless wasted no time in launching His public ministry – preaching in the synagogues, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Jesus had it all figured out, knowing exactly what His life was all about and why He was here. He knew His purpose, and nothing could deter Him from it. Neither did He let Himself be tyrannized by the urgent, nor did He allow His judgment to be clouded by the swirling emotions and needs of the people around Him, however legitimate those were. Jesus did what He was mainly called to do. The pressure to do what is good but not best can undo the very best of us, but not Jesus. He never fell into those traps because He knew when to say “No.” His purpose predetermined His priorities. No one, not even Jesus during His time on earth, could be all things to all men. Following the path of His purpose, the choices became quite simple, even when the very lives of people He loved were on the balance.

What are we here for? Why is God keeping us here when He could have immediately brought us home to heaven at the instance of our salvation? Jesus spells it out simply and plainly as a matter of first importance in the Sermon on the Mount. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

Either people are drawn to God by what they see us do or they are repelled from God. In Old Testament time, God gave laws to be observed by the Jews to set them apart from the other nations as His chosen people. “I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me… observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?” (Deut. 4:5-8). Show and tell is the name of the game.  Just as they were God’s living exhibits to the nations at that time, so are we to be to the people around us today. Where we are is where God appoints us for the job of being “salt” and “light” so that the Gospel may be proclaimed.

In Rembrandt’s paintings, he causes the eyes of observers to move instantly away from the shadows to the light. Marilyn McIntyre in a book entitled “Drawn to the Light” put her finger on Rembrandt’s genius. She says “drawn to the light” is exactly what you experience standing before Rembrandt’s paintings. And that’s exactly the effect we should have on people in this dark world. Ironically, surveys show that Christians are just as racist, just as promiscuous, and just as high in divorce rate as non-Christians. Is it any wonder then that people cannot see the difference between those who strongly profess the Christian faith and those with bogus faiths to cling to?

Immediately after telling us what our purpose for being here is, Jesus explained in Matthew 5 and 6 how our purpose ought to affect and saturate our thinking and decision-making. Anger management (Mat 5:21-24), compromise settlement rather than lawsuit (Mat 5:25-26), marital integrity and fidelity (Mat 5:27-32), transparency and trustworthiness (Mat 5:33-38), response to intimidation, insult, and aggression (Mat 5:39-42), loving the unlovable (Mat 5:43-48), authentic spirituality vs. hypocrisy (Mat 6:1-18), investments (Mat 6:19-24), and anxiety management (Mat 6:25-34), serve as guidelines for focused Christian living in fine detail. Life need not be complicated and complex. God’s Word is the standard for living simply.

Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, now 67, spans 35 years of being in the limelight with an Oscar Award for Best Actress. In her search for answers to what life is all about, she has tried a variety of gods: stardom, sex, political power, and communism (thus the monicker “Hanoi Jane”). She’s been in and out of marriage several times, the last of which was with Ted Turner, owner of CNN, whom she eventually separated from just recently. From her autobiography, “My Life So Far,” this is what she writes: “I’m on a mission.  I’m in my third act, presuming I live to be about 90. I want to inoculate as many girls and boys as possible to let them know it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Not knowing our purpose can muddle up our priorities. We can free ourselves from the stress and strain by not trying to be several people doing several things all at once. We don’t have to be a basket case, either. It doesn’t have to be that way, if we know what we are here for, if we set our priorities right, and if we are centered on Christ. Jesus Christ Himself established the precedent to finding that center and staying there. But He said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). When our priorities are predetermined by our purpose, we know when to say “Yes” and “No” with confidence.