Just Do Something Review

Howdy!

So since I've no University work to do (aside from a placement log), I've had more time to actually read the many faith based books I have in my drawer! I thought I'd start with Just Do Something by Kevin Deyoung since after this placement year, I've only one more year before going into the so called 'big bad world' to find a graduate job in Software Engineering - that in itself involves decisions as to what ones to apply for (Testing - my placement job would be preferable, but development is also an option, and what specific area of Software do I want to work in - cloud, virtualisation, e-commerce, financial services, or what).

I have now finished Kevin's book and have resumed reading Chosen by God by RC Sproul, you can expect the review of that one in the next few weeks when I finish it - it's much deeper as you'd expect. Below is my review of Just Do Something by Kevin:

Review

Often, life throws us a curveball, and we have a big decision to make. Examples would be what subjects to choose in school for GCSE or A Level, what you want to do with your life, what man/woman to marry, where to live, and so on. There are so many decisions we make in life, some more important than others. How do we approach this decision making? Often we as Christians, seeking to be in God's will for our lives, pray and search God's Word for months, ask God for a special sign to show us what to do, wait for somebody to tell you a random verse (usually out of context) or a special vision or something. The whole point of this book by Kevin Deyoung is to encourage us to actually do something, to actually make decisions using 'sanctified common sense' (more on that later).  

The blurb on the back of the book says, "But God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, do what we like". Interesting, let's explore how he unpacks this idea He has got from God's Word. 

How Should we Go About Making Decisions? 

So, in this book, Kevin says that before we even see how we should make decisions and be in God's will, we ought to define the different types of God's will. These different types of God's will are: 

• God's will of decree: refers to what God has ordained and nothing can thwart His will of decree 
• God's will of desire: refers to what God has commanded of His people 

So, he says, "If the will of decree is how things are, the will of desire is how things ought to be". These two parts of God's will are helpful as we see how Kevin unpacks how we should make decisions. 

In chapter 5, he says, "The questions God cares about most is not: 'Where should I live?', but 'Do I love the Lord with all my heart?' ". This starts us pointing towards Kevin's conclusions in the closing chapters 6 to 10. He starts chapter six by outlining that God's will for our lives is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:34) and saying that the most important decision we make daily is to live for Christ and die to self. 

Another important point he makes in chapter 7 is this, "Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us". I think this is very important. No special visions or anything, but the Spirit of God that lives in us speaking to us through the Scripture that God has given to us. Incredible. He, Kevin, then details how Paul made decisions about where to go next on his missionary journeys, saying that, "With few exceptions, Paul made his own decisions about the non-moral matters of his life" and argues that Paul used his 'sanctified common sense' to determine where next to go on his missionary journeys.  

In chapter 7, he says, "Don't confuse hunches and subjective feelings with certain words from the Lord". This is key. 

In chapter 8, he outlines his approach, derived from the Bible entirely, to making decisions and being in the will of God. He states, "Study the Scriptures, listen to others, and pray continually – that's the best course of action, not just at the moment of crisis, but as a way of life. And as you engage in these practices, don't forget to make a decision – always with wisdom, always with freedom, and sometimes even with speed." That is how he concludes the chapter. What a paragraph. The process of decision making with the aim of being in God's will for our lives is the same as we thought, but all we need to do differently is to actually use sanctified common sense and make a decision at some point, rather than going around and around in an endless cycle of searching the Scriptures (a great thing to do), listening to the counsel of others (also a great thing to do), and praying continually (also a great thing to do) and never making a decision. Hence the title, "Just Do Something", not flippantly with no thinking or praying or searching the Scriptures, with those great things whilst not forgetting to make a decision. 

In the last chapter, he closes the book with this, "So the end of the matter is this: Live for God. Obey the Scriptures. Think of others before yourself. Be holy. Love Jesus. And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, wherever you like, and you'll be walking in the will of God." 

I couldn't say it better myself. 

For me, this book has been eye opening about how we so often get lost in the endless cycle of Scripture reading, seeking advice from Christian friends, and prayer (all good things to do), yet we rarely actually make a decision. Let's start obeying the Scriptures, making decisions that honour Christ, whilst searching the Scriptures, seeking the advice of our Christian brothers and sisters, and praying. There is no need to be paralysed in indecision, waiting for clear direct, unmistakable direction! Praise God!