All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 Ed. (NASB95)

January 3rd is the birthday of famed author J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of The Lord of the Rings. His story is arguably one of the most immersive, moving, and complex ones ever written or filmed within the past 100 years. The characters are compelling, the conflicts are gripping, and the conclusion is one of the most satisfying in the history of fiction.

Many people who have read or watched this series of stories have become fascinated by it, and they often are inspired to explore and bury themselves in even more similar fantasy stories. However, they often lose sight of the realities that are behind the characters and events in Tolkien’s story. If you look into it, he was actually attempting to retell the medieval history of the English-speaking people using some of the mythological creatures that people of that time used in their stories. Hence, his story shouldn’t be properly viewed as an escape from reality, but an exploration and exposure of human history, and the universal themes that pervade all of our lives.

This points us to the right purpose of all great stories – they should enable us to see our part in the story of history in a clearer light, and how we ought to live our lives in the conflict that obviously wages around us. From the perspective of the Lord Jesus, this story is mainly about Him, and His work of redeeming and perfecting the universe out of its descent into chaos, corruption, and cursing. And if you believe in and worship Him, then you are on the winning side of this cosmic war that we call history.

If we are a part of God’s kingdom and family through faith in Jesus, then the truth is that our lives are essential features in His work of redeeming the universe from its curse. This means that your life is more meaningful, exciting, and impactful on those with whom you interact than any fantasy story ever created. While we can use fictional stories to learn how the world works, and how we should respond in certain situations, we must always remember that our lives are the most interesting and spectacular stories we know, precisely because God is telling them, and making them a part of Christ’s story. Our lives in Christ are continuations of what He began to do on earth 2,000 years ago.

The main difference between how we should view our lives, and how unbelievers view theirs, is that the hero of our story is the Lord Jesus. We are mostly foils, or contrasts, to the Lord, who are meant to put Him on display. Nevertheless, in His grace, He’s given us the ability to contribute to our stories by introducing plot elements through our decisions.

This is one of the wonderful things about our status and power through Jesus – we have the ability to rule our lives based on what we think and do. Obviously, He is ultimately in control, but He’s given us agency to respond to our conditions and circumstances by imagining things, and then carrying them out by His power. And this is where prayer has a prominent feature in the unfolding of our lives. The Lord has promised us that God will give us anything we ask, when we ask according to His will and in Jesus’s name (1 Jn. 5:14). So, through our minds, affections, prayers, and decisions, we have the ability to make our lives the way we want them to be. This isn’t an absolute promise, but a conditional one. Insofar as our plans and prayers are lined up with the desires that God has for our righteousness, they will be realized by His sovereign power.

Multiple Scriptures make this point, including the one I just hinted at about God giving us anything we ask according to His will. But for a couple other examples, take Psalm 37:4-5:

“Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”

And Proverbs 16:3 echoes this Psalm:

“Commit your works to the LORD

And your plans will be established.”

These are tremendous promises, and show us that the Lord has given us far more responsibility and power than we often recognize. While we always need to recognize that He is the One who “works all things according to the counsel of His will,” we should also remember that we are “working together with Him” in His unfolding plan of redemption and conquest over the kingdom of darkness through our actions (Eph. 1:11; 2 Cor. 6:1).

As workers together with Jesus in the conquest of the world through His Word, we ought to take extreme care in our stewardship of the lives with which He’s entrusted us. This is especially true of men, as we have been given the role of leading and teaching the women and children that are under our care, as well as our own lives. Since we serve in the decision-making capacities of the household, church, and society, we need to have a biblical, Christ-focused, and kingdom-advancing “vision” for how our lives, and the lives of our followers, ought to run. This means that we are regularly ruminating on and remembering the teachings of Jesus in Scripture, and seeking the goals and purposes that He’s given us to aim for.

To outline this further, we should have definite and attainable goals for the main spheres of our lives. Some of the possible spheres that we have influence over include:

  1. Personal character
  2. Occupations/Business
  3. Marriage
  4. Children
  5. Church
  6. Friendships
  7. Local Community/Neighborhood
  8. Government

For each of our spheres of influence, it’s important that we know what the Scriptures basically teach about them, and what our responsibilities are in shaping them according to God’s standard under the rule of His Son. Essentially, in all things, Jesus should be regarded as the rightful Ruler over it, and His glory, praise, and honor as the purpose. But it’s up to us, as men especially, to decide how each of our life spheres should be prayerfully organized, ruled, and guided to make them useful in teaching people to increasingly obey Jesus through their various means.

Taking Action

So, have you learned what God’s Word says that your life should specifically look like? Have you taken stock of the major areas of your life over which you have a stewardship, and made a plan for reaching your goals for each one of them?

God is the Author of your life, but if you’re in Christ, He’s made you a co-author in that story, subject to your obedience to His will for you. And this story is more wonderful and thrilling than any fictional one, with a surprise ending that will fill you with wonder, love, and praise when you stand before the Lord and bow in awe at the great Storyteller.

Until next time, know and serve the coming Lord.