It is subtle, but our preferences speak volumes of our character.
Matthew 4:18-22, “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
As i understand the scripture, Peter and Andrew made a decision in the moment. Maybe prior to Jesus coming around, they were thinking of going back to school or were bouncing around the idea of doing something other than fishing. i don’t know. But, when Jesus walked up and said, “Follow me”, there were no sales tactics presented to them, they didn’t have to be sold on the idea. They weren’t promised a big salary, a corner office, nor widespread influence with the use of the local Synagogue marketing committee.
They were choosing, they preferred to follow Jesus over staying with their day job. Before that, evidently, they had a preference for fishing, after all, they had invested in nets, boats, and made connections to market their fish, but in that exact moment Jesus walked up, their preferences changed. What was going on that caused them to make such a change, seeming to turn on a dime like that?
In the last 20 years, God has changed my preferences. There was a time in my life when i thought i didn’t care one way or another which restaurant i ate at, which mystery show we would watch, whether i had lasagna, a hamburger, or a salad for lunch. It didn’t matter which restaurant because i like a huge variety of foods, and my goal was to eat food, however that came about. i really believed it didn’t matter. i was very indifferent to many things, with indifferent being the key word there. i didn’t really care what i drove as long as it started, stopped, had lights, and got me from point A to B and back, consistently. i thought i didn’t care whether i wore a collared shirt or a t-shirt, because in my mind it only mattered that i cover my body. Solid color, large print, small print, old shirt, new shirt, i was very utilitarian in many of my views of life. i believed those choices weren’t all too important, or at least i thought. Well, let me tell you, God had another plan. He began to pose me questions, drawing out my preferences that were buried underneath a world of thinking which hinged on the idea that i didn’t want to offend anyone. i didn’t want to appear persnickety and opinionated, i just wanted to go along to get along with as little conflict as possible. Do you realize how utterly impossible it is to live a life with no conflict, on any front? All that indifference affected the expression of my preferences. But was it really, actually indifference though? The truth was, as He revealed to me, i did, indeed, have preferences and it was OK to have them. Today, i can say i prefer collared shirts and leather shoes, i prefer blue jeans over dress slacks, i prefer to stay at home over going out at night, i prefer the truth over hearing sweet things. i prefer peace over contention which starts with me not being a contentious, combative person. My list goes on for a while, but you get the idea. Friends, it’s ok to be you.
When Peter met Jesus, i believe the presence of God was so persuasive, that Peter was willing to change from owning his preferences to preferring God’s preferences. And wouldn’t you know, God has preferences, which i believe, we need to know about. If we’re going to be like Jesus then it seems to me we need to know what He prefers.
i’d say, the Lord has a personal preference for mercy over judgment. He prefers honor and grace over dishonor and disgrace, and truth over lies. 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
i would say the Lord has a personal preference to be patient, and He would far prefer to fulfill His promises. He has a preference that none should perish and that everyone would experience forgiveness and eternal life. From the beginning, the Lord had a choice, He could either kill them all or give His life so that we would be saved. Kill them or save them, and He preferred to save us. He preferred Abel’s sacrifice over what Cain brought. He has a personal preference that a man and woman comprise a marriage, and the list of God’s preferences goes on and on beyond the edge of the universe.
His preferences are a standard for us and were built into everything He created. God’s preferences have set the stage for the end, from the beginning..
It seems to me we know well the preferences of our children and friends, but how is it that we call Him Lord, God, Savior, All-in-all, Adonai, and friend, yet we seem to know so little about even what His personal preferences are. On a basic level, a friend knows their friend’s personal preferences, doesn’t God deserve much more than all of them? i think it would behoove us to know.
What are your preferences? Be honest. Not only are we defined by our preferences, we are revealed by our preferences. For example, what we like and don’t like can be seen by how we spend our money. Most people totally don’t want you to know where their money goes … it is very revealing. How well do you know your family’s liking for one alternative over another? Would you say God’s commandments are representative of His personal preferences? Isn’t the Lord eternally more important than today’s political figures, yet we know more about the preferences of famous people than we do the Lord, and i’d like to do something about that. What do you think?