HE will help us…

i heard about this teenage boy who was fed up with all the rules of his teachers.  so he dropped out of school early… and he joined the army.  that was worse!  the sergeants were barking out orders.  he couldn’t wait to be discharged so he could settle down and be free.  so he got married. 

deep down we resist authority.  we want to be in charge.  i’ll make my own decisions, thank you very much!  but for those who have lived enough of life to swallow your pride and admit that you need some help, even if it means submitting to authority, the bible tells us that if we will submit to HIM, HE will help us.  GOD will help us live life in HIS will if we let HIM guide our decisions. 

now that may be creating a question in some of our minds.  you’re saying, “you’re telling me that one of GOD’s gifts to us is the freedom to choose.  now you’re saying submit my choices to GOD.  doesn’t that mean i’ve just given up my free will?  now i am puppet.  now i am a robot.  and GOD will just start doing HIS programming on my soul.” 

that’s not what i’m saying at all.  that’s not what the bible teaches.  the bible does say that GOD is in control, moving history to a certain and preset conclusion.  GOD is all around us and has been working through the events and people of history from the very beginning.  and all of life is like a slow coursing river winding its way towards GOD’s ultimate destination.  there is a big picture, a big overall plan and will of GOD and GOD is working things towards that plan. 

but within that plan GOD gives you and GOD gives me lots of personal freedom.  GOD doesn’t control every aspect of life.  HE didn’t control what you ate for breakfast this morning.  HE didn’t control what you decided to wear to work/play today.  let’s not blame GOD for some of that! 

let me give you an example.  let’s say i asked you to drive to austin, texas where i used to live.  i draw out a map.  i set the course.  i tell you which roads to take.  i’d tell you which exits to take, which subdivision to enter.  but during that trip you’d have all kinds of personal freedom.  you could choose what time you left for the trip, how fast you drive, when to use a turn signal, whether or not to use cruise control, when to buy gas, eat a meal or spend the night.  i would have determined the overall destination, where this trip is headed but along the way you would have made almost all the personal decisions.  good decisions would have gotten you well down the road.  poor decisions could have led to a crash of your life. 

and the difference between crashing and getting down the road is utilizing GOD’s help in making decisions.  i would contend that we need GOD’s help more in our life these days rather than less.

just a thought from the front porch…