I worked in Christian broadcasting for 15 years and spent much time creating promotional announcements. One of the phrases I used very often was “Don't miss this!” If you pay close attention next time you are watching prime-time television you will hear the phrase or something very similar used over and over. That's because broadcasters know that if you are not tuned in to their station you will not see or hear what it is that they are providing for your entertainment at that moment. You will miss out on it.
The field of broadcasting taught me a lot about people and life. One of the most important lessons I learned and one that all broadcasters must remember to be successful is that once a listener tunes away from their station there is nothing they can say over the microphone to bring them back. That's an important principle to keep in mind when dealing with those around you: Once you say or do something to turn them off, it's nearly impossible to regain their listening ear again.
We go through life making decisions that determine what we will or will not miss because of that decision. That is why there is generally more than one television set in the average American household these days. I'm old enough to remember when television became available to the listening public.
My first experience with television was when I was in grade school and my parents were trying to prepare me for a visit we were going to make to a friend's house. They had a brand new television and our family had never seen one. My folks tried to explain that it was kind of like going to the movies but it was in your own house. The day finally arrived and we went to the friend's house for dinner. Following dinner we all went into the living room and sat in kind of a semi-circle around this piece of furniture about four feet tall and three feet wide with a glass picture tube about the size of a dinner plate located on the front of it. We sat waiting for some time because the station didn't come on the air until 7:00 PM.
When the station did come on it displayed a test pattern and the owner turned several knobs in order to adjust the picture for the best quality. Even when adjusted to the best quality it was still only black and white and appeared to be coming through a snow storm. But there were several cartoons and other interesting short programs that we listened to until late that evening. I remember how sore my eyes were the next day from straining to see that small seven-inch screen. But that was then and this is now. Today we must have more than one television because the kids will miss their programs if we insist upon watching ours, or vise-versa.
The point is: We hate to miss out on things. Especially the things we like the most. And, most of our decision-making is based on that premise. When we are forced to miss out on something we like we readily express our disappointment.
It appears to be part of our nature to try not to miss out on anything in life. Did that sentence make sense? Maybe I should say that it appears to be our nature to Grab life by the horns; to Live life with gusto. Does that make more sense. There used to be an old saying that the guys tossed around: Whoever has the most toys when he dies - wins! We all feel that way to some degree. We seem to be driven to find happiness and pleasure and even excitement whenever it is available to us. So we go through life kind of like an insect, with our antennae out feeling around making sure we don't miss out on anything.
My dog even has the problem to some extent. When she is in the house and hears a dog barking outside, what does she do? She begins to run from one window to the next, trying to see what is going on. It is as if she is afraid she will miss out on whatever the other dogs are barking about. So, is she acting like her master, or, does her master tend to act more like her? Well, I think it is probably the latter of the two when it comes to sin.
I, like everyone else, have always had a problem with sin. I am so thankful that Jesus is a friend of sinners because I'm sure I'll always have Him as my friend. When we sin we approach it in one of two ways. It either occurs as the result of a conscious decision or as the result of an unconscious decision. It turns out that the less mature we are the more unconscious the decision tends to be and the more mature we become the decision to commit sin becomes more of a conscious decision.
I love children and I enjoy watching them behave. When you watch a young child behaving around other children it doesn't take long to recognize the signs of the sinful nature that is a part of all of us. If there are two children and only one toy between them the selfish nature of each brightly shines as soon as one of the children tries to take possession of the toy.
The second child sees the toy in the hand of the first child and decides to try and retrieve it for himself. As he (or she) reaches for it the first child immediately pulls it to himself and holds tightly to it while the second child is tugging and yanking, trying to get it for himself. At such a young age these two children can no more explain why they are acting this way than they can explain how to pass the driver's test they will be taking in the years to come. All they know is this: “If I let that other child have that toy I will miss out on having it for myself.”
They don't know why they feel this way but they DO know they don't want to miss out! It is a totally unconscious act.
Now, let's take a look at two Christian drivers, both in a hurry to arrive home following a hard day at work. Both are on a two-lane stretch of pavement which is about to become a one-lane stretch of pavement. Neither knows the other as they drive down the street next to the other. You can't deny what probably happens next because we see it all the time:
The driver on the right slowly begins to speed up in order to get ahead of the driver on the left. But when the driver in the left lane sees this happening he presses the gas pedal down enough to move slightly ahead of the other driver. Next, the driver in the right lane presses the gas pedal down more in order to defeat the efforts of the driver in the left lane. And on it goes until one of the “Christians” loses the little game of chicken by letting the other driver win out and go ahead.
We see this kind of thing happening all the time as we drive the streets of our cities. The point here is NOT that Christians should be more courteous than other drivers (which they should if they know anything about the story of the good Samaritan), but that each made a conscious decision to be just like the little children in the first example. These are mature people. Their reaction to each other's behavior was not unconscious. Each was saying to their self, “If I let that other car in front of my car I might miss out on something . . . .”
Do you remember when you were first saved? You were so excited about becoming a new person. You wanted to read the Bible and learn as much as you could about the Lord and how He wanted you to live your life. In fact, at that point the things in life that you didn't want to miss actually took a turn for the better. You probably didn't want to miss out on hearing what the preacher said Sunday morning. You may not have wanted to miss out on telling those around you about the change that Jesus made in your life.
The decisions you made following your decision to start a relationship with Christ became very conscious decisions. And many of them were based upon your desire not to miss out on all of the things going on at church and all that was available to you through reading the Word of God.
And, as the things in life that you once hated to miss out on became less desirable, you made your decisions without caring whether or not you missed them anymore.
We need to understand that this feeling of not-wanting-to-miss-out is not a bad thing. It just happens to be a part of our nature. It's how we are wired. We can't do anything to get rid of it. There is no way we can ignore its presence. We are very much stuck with it.
OK, now that we have covered your past, namely: the days following your salvation, (Hopefully you are saved and know for sure you are going to Heaven. If not, click here and find out how easy it really is to make sure.) let's talk about today and tomorrow and the rest of your life.
There are times in our lives as Christians when we really do goof. We really do slip, unconsciously, and commit a sin which we later regret. But, more often, I find my sin problem to be based on a decision-making process. And that decision-making process is very often based upon the question, “What will I miss out on if I don't do this?”
That's what Eve was wondering in the Garden of Eden when told by Satan that she could be as smart as God. That's what David was wondering when he looked down on Bath Sheba. That's what Ananias and Sapphira were wondering when they held back just enough of their offering to get them killed. And you and I, I'm afraid, are no different than these and many others who are mentioned in the Bible as examples to us.
Unfortunately, there is little hope for me and I have doubts about you too. We are prone to sin. We cannot get away from it. But there is one thing Jesus knew that we should try to remember when tempted by sin: All of the things around us on this earth are only temporal. They will not last. Whereas the things in Heaven which we can claim as rewards will NEVER even begin to tarnish. Nothing needs polishing up there. Everything there is permanent, eternal, everlasting. That's a lot different than temporal.
Why can't we just remember that when we are tempted by sin? Because our mind is part of our flesh, I suppose.
1John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
When we are confronted by the urge to sin our mind is saying, “Wow, don't miss that!” And whatever that happens to be is drawing upon our desire to have it rather than miss out on it. Let's take a quick look at some examples starting with the lust of the flesh.
Selfishness may be at the top of the list. Lying could be a problem for some. How about overeating? How about laziness? When we make a decision, a conscious decision, to partake in just these few I have mentioned, we make that conscious decision in order that we won't miss out on something.
How about sin that deals with the lust of the eyes? That would include stealing. And by stealing I don't mean sneaking up to the store counter and putting something in your pocket. I'm talking about illegally copying software, or cheating on income tax information. No, you wouldn't do something like that, would you? How about pornography? Do you have an excuse to cover that? If you are a normal, healthy male statistics have proven that you have some kind of a battle with it.
Jealousness also falls under the category of the lust of the eyes. In fact, that's what keeps the American economy so healthy. When your vehicle runs fine but it's old and your neighbor or the person you work with buys a new car, we often call it incentive. But through the eyes of God it may fall under a different title.
What about the pride of life? Sins committed under this label are very often executed with the mouth. You heard about the lady who said, “I never repeat gossip! So listen closely the first time.” When two people get together and talk they can feel so much better about themselves after they have verbally crucified someone else who isn't present. And, much of the time it's the poor preacher or his wife.
OK, I have just reviewed a short list of some of the most common sins committed by you and me and a bunch of other Christians. The funny part is this: When we commit these sins it is as if we have totally forgotten about our Heavenly Father who is, at that very moment, watching to see how we are about to handle the decision-making process. If you don't think He isn't interested in watching your reaction, please think again. He is like a parent, watching through the kitchen window as their child plays in the back yard.
Think about the times you have watched a mystery on television. You often find yourself unable to pull away on the chance you may miss something. (Oops! There's that phrase again.) You are so interested in the outcome that those commercials seem to take forever to finish. And that's how your Heavenly Father is as He views our everyday lives, from the edge of His throne, waiting to see if you prefer a temporal pleasure over an eternal one.
When we are tempted to sin we must make a conscious decision. Instead of thinking, “What will I miss out on?” we should be thinking, “Is it worth it? If I go for the temporal pleasure I miss out on an eternal pleasure. Whereas, if I miss out on the temporal pleasure I gain an eternal reward.” Now, I don't know how God's system of rewards really works but I know there are rewards in Heaven as well as immediate blessings here on earth determined by our behavior.
Jeremiah 17:10
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Knowing all this, it would seem like a no-brainer to keep the eternal and miss out on the temporal. It would seem to make a lot more sense to be missing out on the temporal pleasures, especially the next time we needed to have our prayers answered.
Also, keep this in mind: Have you ever noticed that we sooner or later become bored and disinterested in those temporal things which we previously thought we just had to have. Stop by an automobile wrecking yard sometime and, as you gaze at the hundreds of wrecked cars, remember that each one was once the pride and joy of its first owner.
Finally, lets look at an example taken from real life that helps illustrate what really gives us pleasure and excitement in life. When my children were very young I used to take them shopping to buy birthday gifts and Mothers' Day presents for their mother. We would usually make the trip one or two days prior to the date of the event. Maybe you have done this also. They seem to get very excited about the whole ordeal of looking for the perfect gift, wrapping it up, and presenting it to Mom.
It's even fun to listen as they express their excitement and occasionally ask if they can give the gift to mom before the big day even arrives. Of course I always made them wait until the right time and their excitement continued to bubble over during the wait. Then, on the day of the big event they would be so thrilled as they watched their mother while she slowly un-wrapped the gift and opened it before their larger than life-size eyes.
Throughout the whole process they were filled with pleasure and excitement. But where did all that pleasure and excitement come from? Not from without, but, from within. They were experiencing what we know as real happiness. That's the kind of happiness and joy you feel when you haven't searched for it. It's what you will never find when you go looking outside yourself in search of it.
Sadly, many folks forget that fact as they go about life in search of happiness and never really finding it. They seem to know that they are missing out on something and they grab at everything they see which looks like it might be the answer. And Christians often fall into the same trap. They know right from wrong and yet, when something tempting comes into view they seem to forget all about the eternal component of life and reach for whatever it is that they just don't want to miss out on. And then wonder why they can't get their prayers answered.
Life is made up of a multitude of conscious decisions. We need to keep our minds and hearts aware of the fact that it is OK to miss out on most of the temporal pleasures of this world. We need to insure that we don't miss out on the blessings and rewards that lie ahead for those who love the Lord and desire to live a life that pleases Him.
Think twice the next time you find your heart or mind quietly repeating the phrase, “Don't miss this!”