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William Shakespeare, in his play Hamlet, wrote this line: “To be, or not to be, that is the question”.
Doing, or Being, or Both?
The answer of course is that we are to be both. Or more precisely if we are truly “being”, then we are automatically “doing”. However, if we are only consumed by “doing” it does not necessarily follow we are “being”.
Let me explain.
Being:
We are called to BE the people of God.
“For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people for His own possession [that is, His very special treasure].” (Deuteronomy 7:6 AMP)
“In this way, they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are My people, says the Sovereign Lord. You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture. You are My people, and I AM your God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!” (Ezekiel 34:30-31NLT)
Now, of course, these two Old Testament verses were originally spoken by God to the people of Israel. However, since the death and resurrection of Jesus the statements are just as true for Christians – because Christians have been grafted into the promises that God made to Israel as Galatians 3:29 and 1 Peter 2:9 state:
“And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:29 NIV)
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)
So, we, Christians, are the people of God and we are called to reflect that by “being”, and behaving as, the people of God.
However, sometimes, we go ‘off kilter’ – out of balance as it were.
We let our humanity, life, and tasks get in the way of our “being” the people of God, and instead we spend our energy on, and focus on, “doing” things.
And we become so busy focusing on doing things for God, that we lose sight of the fact that while “doing” things for God our actual focus and calling is to live life “being” the people of God.
“Doing” is not the goal or the aim of Christianity. Rather “doing” is just one aspect, one part of “being”. In other words “doing” is just one part of living life as the people of God, one aspect of “being” the people of God.
Doing:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12 NLT)
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23 NLT)
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? …. You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? …. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:14, 19, 26 NLT)
But with the demands and distractions of daily life, it can be easy to lose sight of our true calling and get caught up in constantly “doing” things for God.
Sadly, there are so many Christians who get so caught up in “doing” things for God, particularly in church activities, that they lose sight of living every part of their lives “being” the people of God.
God has said: “For I desire and delight in [steadfast] loyalty [faithfulness in the covenant relationship], rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6 AMP)
Or as the NLT translates that verse: “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6 NLT)
We can work so hard at “doing” things for God that we lose our love for God and others and/or we lose our close relationship with God, and if we do either of those things then we are not “being”, or living like, the people of God.
Therefore, we must strive for a balance between being and doing to truly live a fulfilling and purposeful Christian life.
