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"I CAN DO AS I PLEASE"
Every day we seem to
face new and unusual behaviors. Some are just odd, like bungee jumping.
Others are abnormal and outrageous, such as pedophiles who prey on
underage
children. You can't open your newspaper, or watch your television,
without facing new and often bizarre actions by increasingly strange
people.
Most of these people, even those involved in harmless, activities (like
hot dog eating contests or cow chip tossing) will tell you they have the
right to do as they please. As long
as things are not illegal or harmful to others, they should be free to
do what they want.
Sadly, this attitude spills over into the spiritual realm of man. From
the Garden of Eden on mankind has insisted on getting his way. Mankind
didn't really care what God thought or what God wanted, it had the right
to do as it pleased. So, we see society developing technologically, but
wasting away spiritually. We see culture leaping forward in knowledge,
and falling behind in morality. Man has done as he pleased, with these
results.
God predicted this pattern for all cultures that chose to ignore Him. He
knows what happens when mankind goes its own way with little or no
regard for His Will. The apostle Paul described it well. "For the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God
made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they
are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor
Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their
speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be
wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible
God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and
four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over
in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be
dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie,
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever. Amen" (Rom. 1:18-25). God tells us that we can, indeed,
do as we please. But, only if we accept what comes with it. Notice what
happens when you do as you want, and not what God wants. You can do as
you please, if...
You Ignore Obvious Truths: -- Paul tells us that the evidence of God is
clearly available to every person. No matter of race, nationality,
background or language, everyone can see
that there is a God, a Creator, a Mastermind who put together our
universe and our world, and even our little corner of our world. God's
eternal power and divine nature, though unseen literally, can be seen in
everything He has made.
On top of this, every culture in the world is driven to some degree or
other by religious yearnings. Often those yearnings lead people to
worship "gods" other than the Creator, but it is clear to any honest
observer that there is a Creator and that most people hunger to know and
understand that Being.
Yet, we live in a world that loves to ignore this obvious truth. Our
culture much prefers turning to science to explain the universe. Our
world would rather believe in atoms, molecules and DNA than in the One
who created all of those things. So, mankind ignores the obvious truth
of a Creator, turns to faith in matter, and ignores what is clearly
true.
Sadly, when that happens, man also closes his eyes to other obvious
truths. It takes no genius to figure out that an unborn child is still a
child. But, abortion rates continue at steady rates throughout our
world. It is obvious that all people are people, yet we still have those
who contend that some races are somehow inferior to other races. It is
obvious that loving people die for each other, yet we still have those
who believe they can abuse or dominate others in order to get their way.
So, when you insist on doing things your way spiritually, you always
follow a path that compels you to reject facts that cannot be refuted.
You have to choose to be blind to certain
truths, and then you can do as you please before God.
If You Want A God You Can Control: -- The people Paul describes did an
odd thing. They rejected the obvious fact of a Creator, and instead
chose to create their own gods. These
were in the form of man, or birds, or four-footed animals and even
crawling creatures. Man created these idols and ascribed to them various
powers. Some controlled the skies, others the seas, some the fertility
of the crops, and still others ruled in the afterlife.
All these "gods" were similar. None was all powerful, and most acted no
differently than humans did. They had the same emotions, some failings
and similar appetites. In other
words, mankind exchanged the glory of an incorruptible God for a smaller
god. They gave up on an all powerful God in order to create a little god
they could control. They defined
him, they offered praise to him, they served him. All the while it was a
manageable god.
This is still what man wants to do. Why does evolution sound so good?
Because science is manageable. If we understand it, we can control it.
Why do people turn to Eastern religions? it allows them to control their
emotions or their inner peace or even their physical health. People
still look for a smaller god they can control.
The problem is, what good is a small god who cannot see, control or
manage everything? I want a god who is different than me. I want a god
who loves better than I do. I want a god who knows a whole lot more than
I do. I want a god who is bigger than any of life's mysteries. I want a
god who understands life and overcomes death. A small god may be
manageable, but will do little good when facing the big issues of life.
I can certainly choose to create my own god, whether it is a being or a
philosophy or a science. But unless my god can handle the tough issues,
he will do me little good.
If You Don't Want Stability: -- Paul adds one more solemn warning. He
tells us that these people exchanged the truth of God for a lie. They
chose to worship what God had created
rather than the God Who created. They chose to build their lives on
lies, not truths. The end result is a life based on falsehood and
instability. No one can be safe building a life on a lie. There's no
stability in giving up God and living on empty promises.
This is the real tragedy of insisting on doing as you please It is a lie.
Oh, you can do what you want. The lie is that it will work. It won't
work because when man does what he wants he never really gets what he
wants.
You want to live for pleasure. That will work until you get tired of it.
Then you will find you devoted your life to having a good time and will
still face illness, heartache and death. You want to live for power? You
can grab all you want. But, eventually someone bigger will come along
and you will not be so powerful. You think lots of money will make you
happy?
Go make money. You will still one day face an illness or life situation
that all the money in the world won't help. You see, that truth is that
you can do as you please, but you will never be pleased.
So: Get Outside Yourself: -- Instead of pleasing yourself, think of how
to satisfy others. Instead of insisting on your rights, think about how
to protect and keep the rights of others. Instead of looking out for
yourself, put others first. You will be amazed how your view of life
changes when you stop worrying about making others happy. This is the
nature of the God you have rejected. He loved us enough to send His only
Son to die for us. When you put yourself aside and think of others, you
will take a giant step closer to the Creator of the universe.
Then: God Will Make Sense!: -- God will never make sense if you try to
limit Him, deny Him, or ignore Him. But, if you embrace Him, accept His
values and His Will, God will open
your eyes to see what life can become. God didn't create us to be
miserable or insecure. He made us to live triumphantly, happily and
successfully. But, He knows that if we try to do
it our way instead of His, we will never be happy, successful or close
to triumphant.
What seems to be the backward truth is this. If you want to be pleasing,
you can't do as you please. If you want to live, you must be willing to
die to yourself. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
Me. For whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it'" (Matt.
16:24,25).
(Luke's account says: "take up his cross daily, and follow Me." {9:23}
JWS). Jesus explains what you must do. You must give up trying to please
yourself, and, instead, turn back to the One True God. When you come to
Him, surrender your pride and your will to His, then life will make
sense. All you need do is trust Him, turn from your self-chosen paths
and be baptized into His Son. Then you finally find the happiness and
satisfaction you crave. Come home to God, and please Him, instead of
self.
-- David Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 55, No. 42, Oct. 20,
2006.
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