Someone wise once said, “You’ve gotta know your ‘why’.” Those who know their “why”, will go to impressive lengths for it.

For example:

• They will spend extra time and money to eat nutrient-rich foods.

• They will do the intimidating home-reno project.

• They will sit at the living room table helping their kids with algebra homework.

• They will put in extra hours on the job.

• They will have hard conversations and do the thing they don’t want to do.

• They will expend their time and energy to serve those who can’t offer them anything in return.

Behind every worthwhile task is an equally-worthy “why”.

And that’s great…until we find ourselves tired, or cynical, or burnt out…until we lose sight of what that “why” even was to begin with. Have you ever found yourself here?

• “Is it really going to matter if I give a gentle answer this time, when all I will get in return is an insult hurled back at me?”

• “Is it really going to matter if I stay on that serving team?”

• “I’m just going through the motions. I feel ragged and I keep doing things because I know I should, but I don’t feel anything anymore.”

• “Living the Christian life isn’t easy. In fact, in a lot of ways, my life was easier before I gave it to Jesus. Is this really worth it?” 

If you’re here – or in a similar space, then take a deep breath and let these words set up camp in your soul:

“THEREFORE, my beloved brothers; be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

This sounds so good, right?! We know deep down that we need this steadfast, immovable quality. We need a rock-solid assurance that yes…it really is worth it. At the end of the day, Yes - it really is going to matter.

Regardless of the task at hand, we need to remember our deepest, most essential “why”, and Paul reminds us of it with crystal clarity. In order to see it, we have to zoom out and observe the chapter as a whole.

1 CORINTHIANS 15

Paul wrote this chapter because the Corinthian church was flirting with some dangerous false teaching. They lived smack-dab in the middle of a culture that scoffed at the reality of bodily resurrection. Paul saw the massive problem caused by that kind of thinking. So, he laid out a scenario to give some perspective:

“If A, then B.”

IF A,	Then B.
If resurrection wasn’t real,	it wasn’t real for Jesus. (15:13, 16)
If Jesus wasn’t resurrected,	Paul's preaching and the Corinthian's belief would have been useless. (15:14, 17)
If Jesus wasn’t resurrected,	Paul and the apostles would have been misrepresenting God. (15:15)
If Jesus wasn’t resurrected,	believers had no hope of Christ’s finished atonement for their sins. (15:17)
If Jesus wasn’t resurrected,	those who had died had believed in vain and would have no hope of heaven. (15:18)
If Jesus wasn’t resurrected,	believers wouldn’t have any hope beyond fleeting, earthly pleasures. (15:19)
And if all of that were true,	no one on earth would be more pitiful than them.  (15:19)

That’s pretty grim. But then, on the heels of the worst-case scenario picture Paul painted, he declares the greatest news:

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (vs. 20)

(Can you hear the mic drop?!)

Christ HAS BEEN raised! And we who are united to Him by grace through faith, will follow Him in resurrection – not only the resurrection of our bodies in the future, but a resurrected hope, life, purpose, and existence for today! And because we are united to the Victor, we will also come out victorious over sin and death through Christ. (vs. 56-57)

Good thing that “IF A” isn’t true!! Thank God that we don’t live a “Then B” existence!

It’s with this context that we return to verse 58:

“THEREFORE, my beloved brothers; be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (vs. 58)

Paul was addressing a specific danger to the Corinthian church. But the truth he delivered actually speaks into the rhythms of our daily lives as followers of Christ:

If you’ve ever felt like living for God doesn’t matter…like your attempts to share Christ don’t matter…like your unseen acts of compassion don’t matter….then Paul is shouting, “THEY’RE NOT IN VAIN!…THEY MATTER!” And here’s why:

We have resurrection life right now and forever. Jesus’ resurrection, as Theologian John Boys said, “is the Amen of all His promises.” It infuses every act with eternal significance. It is the reason we have hope for more than this life only. Our faith would be in vain, HAD JESUS NOT RESURRECTED.

Our “Why” is that He DID.

OUR “WHY”

Our “why” is that He really did rise and validate everything He said on earth and everything that was prophesied about Him. He really did take away our bondage to the law and our slavery to sin. He really did give us eternal life that doesn’t end in death. He really did give us a purpose that will last for eternity and He really did free us from having to try and satisfy souls created for Heaven with hollow and fleeting earthly trinkets.  

God does not make a mockery of His children.
We never have to fear that all He promised is not true.
We never have to fear spending our lives in vain.
God did not give us a hope for this life only.

And, as believers, that is our “why”.

That is why we can remain steadfast in an uncertain world.
That is why we can remain immovable when circumstances change and people fail.
That is why we can abound in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain.

If you’ve lost your “why”, then let Paul place it back into your hands.
Your belief system and your Biblical worldview is safe in the finished work of Jesus.
You are united with Him and can find freedom from addiction to sin – and the misery of trying to earn right standing before God.
You are liberated from trying to find your purpose in people or possessions or popularity.

Jesus really rose.
That means you don’t have to live for things that will pass away.
That means that you have a purpose that death can’t touch.

So, let this “why” fill your spiritual sails and propel you into the good works God has ordained for you to walk in today.
Every act done for His glory will never return void.
What you do is eternally valuable, and Jesus’ resurrection guarantees it.

It’s a complicated time to talk about solitude.

• A percentage of Americans grapple with the fear of being alone, dubbed as “monophobia” or “autophobia”. (A global pandemic DIDN’T help us out much in this department!)

• The medical community has published findings that loneliness (and its destructive wake) in America is at an all-time high.[i] And yet, being “alone” doesn’t necessarily equal being “lonely”. (Ever felt lonely in the middle of a crowd?)

• Some suggest loneliness is less about who’s around, and more about the lack of healthy relational connection, a dilemma further complicated by the role of technology.

• We’re both dazzled by a new frontier of tech like we’ve never seen before, but we’re equally concerned about the dangerous physiological effects of excessive screen time.

• Terms like “mindfulness”, “grounding”, and “self-care” are circulating all over. It seems like outdoor recreation and mental health are making a comeback.

It feels like we, as a culture, are trying to figure out what we really need as it pertains to our humanity and our surroundings.

As followers of Jesus, what are we supposed to think about it all? What role does “solitude” play in our cultural moment? What is it? What isn’t it? Is it possible it’s the most underrated thing we all need?

WHAT IT’S NOT:

First of all, what ISN’T solitude?

1. It’s not merely being physically alone. It’s possible to have plenty of “solo” time in your daily routine and never truly experience solitude. Solitude, rightly understood, is about intentionally quieting your soul and your surroundings. Solitude doesn’t happen on accident.

2. It’s not being lonely. If we hope to embrace a healthy, Scriptural version of solitude, we need to recognize its distinction from loneliness. Loneliness is a negative emotion that reveals real or perceived unmet relational desires. Solitude is a state of intentional alone time for the positive purpose of renewal or reflection. Author John Thomas helps us with this:

   “…could it also be the case that the loneliness epidemic is not simply a result of being alone more often, but of being unprepared for alone time? Instead of conceptualizing alone time as healthy and productive — as solitude — it is viewed as a menace, a problem to be solved. If as a society we sought not to eradicate loneliness but to cultivate the capacity for solitude would we not be better served?”
   Sherry Turkle, Author and Professor at MIT, said it this way: “If we don’t know the satisfaction of solitude, we only know the panic of loneliness.”

3. It’s not the absence of community. Thinker and lover of God, Donald Whitney, provides this perspective:

   “Biblical reality calls us to family, fellowship, evangelism, ministry, and other aspects of life together in the local church for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. And yet, sometimes our souls crave separation from the noise and crowds into silence and solitude. Just as we must engage with others for some of the disciplines of the Christian life, so there are times when we must temporarily withdraw into the disciplines of silence and solitude…Without silence and solitude, we can be active, but shallow. Without fellowship we can be deep, but stagnant. Christlikeness requires both sides of the equation.”

   Jesus Himself taught us the value of solitude by example. Drawing away for solitude should not come at the expense of community. Instead, it is a discipline that should grow in tandem with the discipline of cultivating community.

WHAT IT IS:

Donald Whitney once again helps us out with this definition for solitude: “Solitude is the Spiritual Discipline of voluntarily and temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes.”

The value of solitude is its ability to clear off the mental clutter and set the table for spiritual renewal. Solitude isn’t an end in itself. Rather, solitude serves us by creating an atmosphere for our souls to finally commune with God.

CLEAR OFF THE CLUTTER

Solitude cuts through the siren calls of earthly pursuits. Author Greg Morse paints this (all-too relatable) picture:

“When I desire the world, when I grow too busy to be alone with God, when the world in my pocket entices me more than the world of the Scriptures, my soul stretches and thins, ‘like butter scraped over too much bread.’  My weakened desires take me away from God into my phone. I follow Jonah into the Tarshish of technology. And when I set sail several times, it becomes easier and easier to go again, and harder and harder to sit with God as before. My soul fidgets, anxious for something, anything to distract and entertain me. As I stick my hand in again and again for more and more salty snacks, my appetite for the great feast diminishes.”  

In his book, “Wisdom Pyramid,” author Brett McCracken describes our dance with social media this way:

“The sickness I feel – which so many people feel – is akin to that of the slot machine addict. We’ve been conditioned in a Pavlovian way to keep putting proverbial coins in the machine. The dings and flashes of our push notifications give us dopamine hits that keep us hooked, as they were engineered to do. We want to see who pinged us, what people are saying about our photos, and what’s getting the mobs riled up today. IT’s terrible for us, and we know it, but it’s like other vices – alcohol, tobacco, sugar – it’s addictive.”

The answer isn’t villainizing media or technology. However, we need to have a realistic grasp on whatever it is that distracts us, for it has the counterfeit capacity to consume our time and captivate our hearts.

SET THE TABLE

Distractions in check. Deep breaths taken. Now what? What actually happens in solitude?

For the believer, solitude is more about PRESENCE than it is about PRIVACY. Fellowship with God is the truest reward of solitude.

Author David Mathis gets to the heart of solitude here:

“…Merely getting away isn’t enough. There is benefit to be had in just letting your soul decompress and getting out of the concrete jungle, enjoying nature, and letting your soul breathe fresh air. But there’s nothing distinctly Christian about that. For those of us who are in Christ, we want to come back better, not only rested, but more ready to love and sacrifice. We want to find new clarity, resolve, and initiative, or return primed to re-double our efforts, by faith, in our callings in the home, among friends, at work, and in the body of Christ.

Getting away, quiet and alone, is no special grace on its own. But the goal is to create a context for enhancing our hearing from God in His word and responding back to Him in prayer. Silence and solitude, then, are not direct means of grace in themselves, but they can grease the skids…for more direct encounters with God in His word and prayer.”

Here are a few ideas:

• Be still. Acknowledge that, despite the contents of your day, your week, this month – God is sovereignly in control, seated on the Throne. He is not in a hurry, even though you may have been. You can find rest here.

• Recognize God’s glory in all that surrounds you. Apart from Him, nothing was made that has been made. (John 1)

  His ingenuity and brilliance are written all over the created world.

• Let the evidence of His glory lead you to praise. Give your mind space to reflect on His many attributes, one after another.

• Lean into gratitude. Start by thanking God for those blessings that easily come to mind (i.e. your family, a place to live, a job, a car to drive, etc.). Then, enter into thankfulness for the spiritual blessings He has given you in Christ. (Hint: You could use Ephesians 1 for this!)

• Meditate on and memorize a verse or passage of scripture.

• Pray. The “A.C.T.S.” method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) is a great place to start.

START SMALL; START SOMEWHERE.

Start small.

Susanna Wesley, wife to evangelist Charles Wesley, in a houseful of children, was known to pull her apron over her head when she needed solitude. Doubtless, the fabric did little to diminish the noise or the chaos around her, but in that small “tent”, Susanna found a haven from the distractions and met with God. Maybe you don’t have an hour every morning. Maybe you have 5 minutes on your front porch at the end of the day. Claim it. The Lord will meet you there.

Start somewhere.

As stated earlier, the world knows the value of being outside. There’s nothing distinctly biblical about it. However, there is something profoundly good about meeting with God in the middle of the created world He fashioned. Nature has a way of pointing us to Him at every juncture. Psalm 19:1 tells us that, “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” As a bonus, outdoor retreats have this advantage: they’re (usually) quiet!

However and wherever you start, we pray God uses the simple practice of solitude in your life to bring you closer to Him.

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WE ASKED OUR STAFF ABOUT THEIR favorite places to find solitude:

Andreya Miller: Pumpkin Vine Trail

Mackenzie Thornton: Boot Lake Nature Preserve

Travis Smith: My hunting properties, in the woods high in a tree, or out on the water before sunrise setting up decoys!!!

Alaina Roberts: Cobus Creek County Park, Pokagon State Park

Crystalin Trossen: Bonneyville Mill County Park, Notre Dame Campus (Especially around the lake / Grotto area)

Annie Bechtel: Potato Creek is always nice. Weko Beach / Indiana Dunes have nice areas to walk around.

Phil Byars: My answer is “The Woods”. Not a particular woods…it can be any woods! The Woodland Trails, P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, Ox Bow Park, Sitting in a tree stand in “The Woods” in my backyard! These and many others have offered that place of solitude at differing times throughout the years.

[i] https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general#:~:text=The%20report%20released%20on%20Tuesday,experiencing%20measurable%20levels%20of%20loneliness.

Hebrews 10:24
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…” (ESV)

In other paraphrases of this passage, the work of considering sounds a lot like getting creative:

“Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out…” (The Message)

“Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.” (The Passion Translation)

Creativity in the Church transcends time.

In every era of church history, God’s people have carried out Hebrews 10:24 in thousands of ways unique to their own cultural contexts. We don’t have to look too far back to remember some examples:

If you grew up in the church, you might have memories of faithful Sunday School teachers who pulled out a flannelgraph and made Old Testament stories come to life over powdered lemonade and sandwich cookies. Maybe you knew the driver for the Sunday morning bus ministry, fueled by a desire to see the elementary boys and girls they transported become first-generation Christians that would change the spiritual trajectories of their families forever. At some point, someone shared an idea for men’s and women’s Bible studies, Vacation Bible School, and short-term missions trips. Individuals created card ministries and coordinated hospital visits and organized meal trains and helped people move out of and into houses.

In other words, the people of God got creative and intentional about how to motivate each other to love and serve.

Our greatest hope for this platform, The FBC Blog, is that it will mobilize Hebrews 10:24 in our little corner of the big “C” Church. Our prayer is that the practical ideas in these posts will
inspire,
stimulate,
incite,
encourage,
stir up,
spur on,
and motivate you to love God, love people, and influence the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ in fresh ways. We pray it will unlock and ignite your imagination to use the resources you have to impact the lives of others for God’s glory in ways you never dreamed of.

And by God’s grace, this communication platform will find its place in the long lineage of creative tools God’s church has used to further His Kingdom.