Because a custom is old is no reason for junking it… Men have found it the best way to go, and to deviate too far is to ask for trouble.”
–Louis L’Amour (Where the Long Grass Blows)
“You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.”
–1 Corinthians 10:21 (NLT)
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Have you ever tried to make sense of the world? It’s harder now than ever before. When there are problems, issues, and dilemmas, people want to put a quick fix–a Band-Aid–on it instead of going deeper to the root problem. Then some will ask, “Why does God allow this to happen?” or “Where was God, if there is a God?” First, God gave man free will, choice, to do what he desires. Man does this, want to do this because he thinks he is autonomous. Second, where was God when tragedy struck? He was there.
People don’t really want to think. They react, often because they have their special agenda, but they truly do not want to think, and especially if it has anything to do with Christ. Get this! One of Satan’s most potent weapons is “laundered reality.” This is seen almost everyday anymore. People tell us how and what to think so we don’t have to face the reality of thinking on our own. This is most often seen with the politicians and the media. An example would be after the President makes a speech, the media will chime in and tell us, “This is what he said.” There, you don’t have to analyze the speech yourself, the media will do it for you. Don’t take the time to think. Satan does not always try to get people to think bad things, but to get them not to think at all.
People out there, the world, and, in fact, most Christians do not understand the true nature of Christianity, they do not take the time to study and think about the nature of God. They, the world, tell us what to think, and try to convince us that our “Christian” way of thinking is wrong. The great evangelist Charles Finney said, “Before you are able to convince me of error, you must first demonstrate you understand what I say.”
The vast majority of people do not take the time to think, instead they make an emotional response rather than an intellectual reaction. It is a major issue today for people find it difficult to separate truth from those who proclaim truth. People base their decisions on what they “feel,” and often this is when they “feel” that God has given them a “bad deal.” We should not make decisions based on an emotional reaction.
Man wants to be autonomous but when tragedy strikes they want to blame God rather than themselves. If man is autonomous, then he is at fault, not God. However, they miss some of the most important aspects of life. If there is no God, as many of them say, then life has no meaning. Meaningless becomes the lot of man. Everything about the fallen nature desires to live apart from God and ignore His sovereignty over life. No, life has meaning, because there is a God. Recognize that He is in charge and we will never be able to fathom Him.
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'”
–Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)