To Be or to Do? That is the Question
by Paul Watson
One of the lesser known sources of theological insight is found in the songs recorded by the late Frank Sinatra. One of the best known of his songs is, ‘I Did it My Way’. The message of this song is obvious. ‘My life is for me to live my way’. However the bible says, ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.’ [Proverbs 14:12]. There is only one way – the way to the Father, through Jesus Christ.
Another of Frank’s songs is, ‘Strangers in the Night’. Near the end of the song is a profound line. It has a very significant message. The words are “do be do be do”.
The message? We are so busy ‘doing’ that we forget that our Heavenly Dad wants us to just ‘be’. The Westminster Confession asks the question ‘What is the chief end (purpose) of man?’ It answers with, ‘To know God and to enjoy Him forever’. Life as a disciple of Jesus is not about doing things religiously for God. It’s about ‘being’ His precious sons and daughters. He made me to be me. The temptation is so often to forget the wonderful freedom He has given us just to ‘be’.
This is nothing new. As our Scripture passage shows, God has always sought to have us just ‘be’, but His beloved ones somehow miss the point. So He says to us all (in my loose translation), “I have offered you a relationship with Me in which you can enjoy Me and I can enjoy you. You don’t have to work for it, but just be yourself. But you don’t seem to want that. You avoid a trusting relationship which gives you real rest and peace. So if you refuse this the result for you will be ‘do and do; rule upon rule – you will collapse from exhaustion and will become ensnared by a life of ‘doing’.” [See Isaiah 28:10-13].
The very real risk that many of us take is that we can allow ourselves to be entrapped by a lifestyle of doing – and so miss the delightful freedom found in simply allowing ourselves to be our Dad’s children, and to enjoy Him as He enjoys us!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Dad. Would you please help me to just be me. And help me to slow down from my lifestyle of doing – to enjoy you more. Amen.
Paul Watson At the end of 2020, Paul stepped down from his role as Centre Director of Ellel Pierrepont in the UK, and with his wife Diane, returned to live in Western Australia. They are enjoying having a break and spending time with their family. Paul and Diane are still on the Board of Ellel Ministries Australia.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
