The radio host on the Christian station I listen to here in Des Moines made an interesting statement a few days ago, and it brought me to that all-too-familiar place of wondering what message I might find lurking behind her statement.
She said, “Sometimes we need a “NOT To-Do” list. Hmmm … that’s an intriguing thought, isn’t it?
True confessions – I’m a huge fan of To-Do lists. Both of my parents were notoriously proficient in this area so it’s clearly in my DNA. I’ve been working from lists at least since my junior high days. And yes, I’m the person who writes things down on her list after she’s done them just so she can cross them off. I’ve finally reached the stage where I’m not even ashamed of that! Perhaps that’s why her statement grabbed my attention.
What comes to mind when you contemplate the contents of a Not-To-Do List? Is it a list of things we shouldn’t do if we’re “good” people? Is it in the same family as the Ten Commandments?
From a biblical standpoint, we could very easily create a list of deeds and thoughts that are contrary to what God wants for us. Could those be the kinds of actions that belong on our list?
I’m going with, “No.” I would strongly caution against making a list like that for several reasons.
First of all, I don’t think any of us has the stamina to comprehensively write down everything we shouldn’t do, according to God’s Word. It would be way too long and we’d either run out of paper or endurance long before we finish.
Secondly, how discouraging would that list be, even if it was a shortened version? I think I would likely respond to a list like this similarly to how I approach my New Year’s resolutions, even if I still made them! In short order, I would be ripping up the list, or deleting it from my devices. Nope, not going to feel defeated before I even start.
I believe the most important reason for avoiding a long list of all that the Bible cautions against is this: we become driven strictly by our desire to act a certain way, fueled only by our own strength. Add to that the dangerous notion of what we believe our good deeds will achieve for us.
In a word, legalism.
Our friends at Merriam-Webster describe it this way: strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.
To go one step further, a biblical definition of legalism from the folks at desiringgod.org describe it as, “… the conviction that law-keeping is the ground of our acceptance with God.”
Clearly, we must step away from any “organizational help” that would lead us into the dangerous territory of legalism.
Are there bad thoughts and actions we should avoid? Absolutely. Are there good and wholesome things we should do? Unquestionably.
But the key to viewing both of those with a healthy, biblical perspective is to understand our role in achieving them, versus God’s role. And how, ultimately, that will result in an infinitely better outcome.
One of the clearest scripture texts addressing this is in Ephesians 2:8-10.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I’ve always loved the picture of God preparing circumstances where he knows someone needs a “good work” and allowing us to participate in that by being Jesus’ hands and feet to that person.
On a more gut-punch level, Isaiah 64:6 refers to our good deeds as “filthy rags” in God’s eyes, simply because his standard is perfection, and we can never attain that on our own.
So, just what might one put on their “Not-To-Do” list to avoid these pitfalls? Here are just a few that come to mind, and I encourage you to create your own list, being careful to avoid any legalistic traps.
Do-Not …
- Believe that God only loves us when we live a life free of sinful acts or deeds. God loves us in spite of them.
- Forge ahead strictly in our own strength. God’s strength is sufficient for us.
- Let any of Satan’s lies get a foothold in our minds. God’s Word tells us to “take captive every thought.”
- Give up when we think we’ve failed God. Finish the race in his strength.
- Try to live this Christian life in isolation. God has created us to thrive in community, and refers to it as “iron sharpening iron.”
I’ll conclude this short list with those few examples, knowing there are an infinite number that we could list. What does yours look like?
In the end, it’s our heart-position before God that will serve us well. We want to obey God’s Word because we love him, not out of a desire to cross something off our list.
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14
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