Just Do Something Review

So i just finished the book by Kevin DeYoung and wanted to share I bit about it with you

“Just Do Something: A liberating approach to finding God’s Will or How to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers, writing in the sky, etc.”

Isn’t that just a sick nasty awesome title for a book? haha But it really does a good job of describing what it’s about. I guess because it’s so long rofl.

So yea, the book is about God’s Will. He writes in a straightforward, concise, don’t mess around, but humorous way that all college students would appreciate. He does some butt kicking in a way that college students need and will appreciate after reading it.

About God’s Will. haha A friend came up with a clever pick up line for me to use on Christian girls, don’t know if I ever will, but I cracked up when I read it. So I see a girl, I go up to her. “Hi there. I’m Will. God’s Will for your life.” I will probably then ask her out or go straight to the proposal since I know for a fact that I’m God’s Will for her life. haha.

He describes three Wills of God, which he says are 1) God’s will of decree, 2) God’s will of desire, and finally 3) God’s will of direction

1) the will of decree is what God has ordained and “everything that comes to pass is according to God’s sovereign decree”

2) the will of desire is what God has commanded and what “He desires from His creatures…and how things ought to be”

3) the will of direction is the will we always talk about when we want to know His individual, specific plan for the who, what, where, when, and how of our lives.

So here’s the real heart of the matter: Does God have a secret will of direction that He expects us to figure out before we do anything? And the answer is no. Yes, God has a specific plan for our lives. And yes, we can be assured that He works things for our good in Christ Jesus. And yes, looking back we will often be able to trace God’s hand in bringing us where we are. But while we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time. -p24

He goes on in the book to talk about the will of God and what that looks like for us in our lives and goes about it in a Biblical manner backing his points not only with experience and stories but with Bible verses and research from other books written on the topic. He talks about making decisions and how we can do that in a way that is glorifying to God and His will for us in our lives. He talks also about making decisions on work and marriage, which are two of the biggest things we always bring to God to ask about His will.

There are some things that I liked in his chapter about work and marriage about marriage that I will share with you guys:

Finally, pray less that God would how you who is the right husband or wife and more to be the right kind of husband or wife. If everyone was praying to be the right spouse, it wouldn’t matter nearly so much who is the “right” spouse. Dump your list of the seventeen things you need in a wife and make yourself a list of seventeen things you need to be as a husband. -p106

I know this may sound crass, and your parents might not appreciate the advice, but guys, if you like a girl and you’re both Christians and your friends and family aren’t alarmed and she actually likes you back, you should probably get married. -p106

Gentlemen, there are wonderful Christian girls waiting for you to act, well, like a man. – p107

Yes, men and women are designed to rely on one another in marriage. However, the biblical formula for marriage is not half a person plus half a person equals one completed puzzle of a person. Genesis math says one plus one equals one (Genesis 2:24). -p109

The problem with the myth of “the one” is that it assumes that affection is the glue that holds the marriage together, when really it is your commitment to the marriage that safeguards the affection. So ditch the myth and get hitched. -p109

Yea, you can probably tell that I enjoyed the topic of marriage. I know I’m still in college. I know I’m only 20, but I’m not guaranteed tomorrow. I believe that marriage is a gift from God and I plan to take advantage of that gift, hopefully using it in a way that will be glorifying to Him. I see no logical reasoning to put off receiving and being blessed by God by the gift of marriage. I don’t plan to live in my parents’ home for the rest of my life. I plan to get a job. Academics might not be my thing, but I plan to work and not be lazy to support the one I love, through a God glorifying job. I am attracted to girls and I do want kids. I’m the oldest of 7 kids and I’ve changed half of their diapers growing up. I love to cook and I can clean. Don’t worry about it. I plan to play sports with my kids when I’m young enough not to throw my back out tossing a baseball to my kids. I plan to honor and live in a way that will present my wife as the church, beautiful and holy, to my Lord when I die. I am willing to change almost everything about myself except giving up my love for God for the woman I fall in love with, but please don’t ask me to give up meat.  I plan to live a life that will seek to honor God in all and every way. What I’m saying is that I’m in the process of manning up, and I’m praying for someone on the receiving end if you know what I mean haha.

I KNOW I HAVE TO GET A GIRLFRIEND FIRST BEFORE I CAN GET MARRIED, OKAY?

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to every Christian person I know, especially college student I know. I will end with one paragraph from the book

So go marry someone, provided you’re equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it’s not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. But put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and for God’s sake start making some decisions in your life. Don’t wait for the liver-shiver. If you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God’s will, so just go out and do something. – p61