You’ve heard (and likely had) the skeptic questions:
Why would a loving God allow evil?
Why would a loving God allow just one way?
Since God says he’ll give me what I want, why can’t I just go on living the way I want? Why do I have to live by someone else’s rules?
Taking the step of faith to believe God is who he says he is so that you can trust what he says about himself, you, the world in which you live, and the will and purpose he has for you is a biggie. It’s tempting to list the pros and cons of a life of faith, and since, prior to a choice to accept Jesus is the Son of God and your personal Lord and Savior, you are more familiar with what you know and live, and even if you’re uncomfortable where you are, the familiarity is a big, highlighted “pro” among your lists. You’re not the only one.
A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have life forever?”
Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands.”
The man asked, “Which commands?”
Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone; you must not be guilty of adultery; you must not steal; you must not tell lies about your neighbor;honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”
The young man said, “I have obeyed all these things. What else do I need to do?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
But when the young man heard this, he left sorrowfully, because he was rich. (Matthew 19:16-22)
This man was seeking answers. More specifically, he was seeking Jesus’ answers. He wanted to know! Yet when faced with the truth, he decided he didn’t want to know that badly. He found a “con” in his pro/con list that he just couldn’t live with. He found his tipping point.
If you’ve already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’ve reached the tipping point, but don’t think that’s the end of all spiritual decisions for your life. Sure, you can be certain of where you’ll be spending eternity, but God never intended for you to stop thinking, learning, asking, and responding. He created you for a relationship with you, and he wants you to know him consistently more deeply. He will reveal himself to you, but you have to choice in how to respond.
When you read a command in Scripture that goes against how you’re living or what you prefer, how do you respond?
When you want to find out if something is in Scripture, do you search for what will confirm your assumptions, or do you search more thoroughly to get the big picture even if it means rearranging your assumptions?
Do you believe what other people say God says and wants, or do you widen the opportunities for learning by personally knowing God’s Word and yielding to the Holy Spirit for cautions, prompts, and convictions?
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Even if we don’t like his ways, we don’t change his ways; we simply do or do not respond in ways consistent with who he is and what he wills. A relationship with Jesus is a constant journey. It’s not a list of pros and cons, and it’s not a popularity contest of what you like best.
Seek a relationship of truth.
Seek a relationship of life.
Wow, you ask some hard questions! Now to search myself for the true answers. And I’m guessing some of them will be “it depends”. I don’t want to be like the rich man in the bible, but I’m sure I’ll find some areas where I am. And that’s a sad statement.
Thanks for taking the honest approach! Stay connected and know I’ll be praying for you throughout the journey!
WOW, what great questions and hard ones. But straight to the point and I love that! This question you asked really got to me “When you read a command in Scripture that goes against how you’re living or what you prefer, how do you respond?” I been married for almost two years now and I have struggle time and time again with just submitting to God’s Will for my marriage, I have struggle with letting go and fogiving my hubby time and time again and again, because I wanted my husband to know and feel my pain that I was going through. And then there is my tongue that has finally gotten the best of me to the point I may have lost my marraige. My husband and I both decided to disobey God and run with our emotions and in end it lead to me being badly hurt, my hubby is in jail as I write and our marraigei is left in the brinks. God has a reason for everything and if only we could truly grasp this before it’s to late and your left dealing with the consequences of your own actions because you decided to go against what God has best plan for you. God trully doesn’t want to see any of His Children hurting, but when we time and time again disobey what He has told us, then my friend we have no one blame or thank but ourselves for not just doing what God has ask. Just because it don’t feel right with us doesn’t mean we should go against with what He said, He knows what’s best for us and we need not only to learn to trust and not question His ways, but just do what He says. For some of us we have to learn the hard way before we see God’s ways are better than our ways. For myself I am learning this very lesson the hard way right now. Don’t let your own stubbornness make you out to be the fool or….God Bless
If you’re still alive, it’s never too late! Things might not work out to your preference and expectations, but God is always willing to meet us where we are and walk us the next steps! Of course, there are consequences. What kind of a Father would he be if he left us to decide our own consequences? 🙂 I will be praying!
And you mentioned your feelings and emotions several times. Have you seen the Pure Emotion Bible study? You can download a sample on this site by clicking the Pure Emotion tab at the top of the page!