Whilst giving the word “journey” some
thought this morning the floodgates have opened as it directly relates to all
in such a meaningful way. All of us are on a journey, the journey of life! This
is not up for debate per say although we make many decisions along the way, we most
certainly had nothing to do with our starts. Our parents came together whether
in the throes of passion, or under a planned calculated mutual decision or maybe
even outside of the bounds of marriage with sin playing its part, conception
took place and then nine months later we were born. Obviously our journeys started
from conception, but who can ever recall being inside their mother’s womb? But
we can recall some childhood memories. Although we were never taught to tell
our first lie, it happened and then it happened again and so on. Sin had begun
to mold our characters. It’s not as if we deliberately chose to be sinful, it
is who we are. Once placed in a compromising position due to varying specifics
we will always look to protect our reputation and lie if and when needed to not
be caught out. It’s almost as if we have a default button that engages without
our consent, proving this one fact that all have sinned and fall short of God’s
characteristics.
The question we find ourselves often asking
is why did God make us like this? Well he didn’t! Our great grandparents (the
first man and woman created) disobeyed a commandment from God and because of
their disobedience we bear the brunt of their judgement. It’s just the way it
is. One may cry “foul” whilst another may shout, “that’s not fair” but whatever
your opinion on the matter may be it is irrelevant in the bigger scheme of
things. God the creator is the final authority on the matter and He does not
need our approval to implement whatever He chooses. He is God and we are his
creation, the clay never dictates to the potter, it is always the other way
around. The potter spins his potter’s wheel and he molds and shapes whatever he
has decided. The sooner we realize this the earlier we will be able to
skillfully tackle the task at hand, which is our pilgrimage and the God-centered
decisions we make along the way.
I can with utmost assurance conclude
that this is what I have learnt; when we start our journeys with a misguided
intention it will always ends badly. Let me break this down to help us
understand… if and when we have God’s will in the forefront of our minds with
his will driving our decisions I can say with complete confidence it will end
well. However when we disregard Him and place our own selfish wants as our
motivation it will cost us the price of learning the lessons of life the hard
way; resulting with much heartache and with many regrets. So the sooner we understand
our position within God’s production the happier we will be. It is all about
finding His purpose for our lives and it can never be the other way around. It often
is and that is why we suffer such remorse.
With that now established we are left
with many daily decisions that we ourselves have the power to implement. Now
let us not under emphasize our roles in God’s sovereignty like the hyper-Calvinist
may often highlight. It is obvious that God will have the final say with all of
His creation and He will most certainly achieve every one of His purposes. But
within His genius he has left us with the ability to make decisions along our
journey. We didn’t choose life, that was outside of our choice, we all arrived through
conception and were all conceived in the same way. But as we begin to mature we
now face decisions that we have the power to implement. This morning I lay in
bed and the alarm buzzed and so I was left with a decision, I could either hit
the snooze button or get up and do what I am now doing, penning my thoughts
onto a word document. Sure, I may well have been influenced by a God given
willingness to contemplate various issues pertaining to life but the decision on
whether to continue sleeping or get up was mine and not someone else’s. I’m sure you get the point.
King Solomon, King David’s son was the
man of wisdom. And he unpacks so many valuable lessons for us to learn from,
but all his conclusions point to the same result and that is that everything in
life is senseless within the bigger scheme of things, if we skew our
perceptions about our journey here on earth it will be extremely costly. Here
is his conclusion after considering life and all the decisions we make along
the way; “The end of the matter; all has been
heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is
the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) – We must all eventually
arrive at the same conclusion if it is to end well with our souls (that part of
us which continues to live after we die), which is to give God His rightful
place in our lives. This can only ever be achieved through repentance for our
sin in and through the finished work of Calvary, a call or a cry unto Jesus
asking Him to forgive us for our rebellion against God. It is not a difficult concept
to understand but quite another thing to implement correctly. But it is crucial
for us to find repentance if we are to have our fairy-tale ending.
Another
very wise man teaches us this very valuable lesson about the decisions we make
throughout our lifetimes. Paul the Apostle and not like King Solomon the man
who tested life to learn from it. Paul received what he teaches us directly from
the mouth of God; “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that
was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man,
nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12) – With that established this
is what he goes on to teach us about our decision throughout our pilgrimage; “Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Here then is my final conclusion; we will face
many decisions throughout our lifetimes but when we place our own selfish wants
before the will of God in the bigger scheme of things it will bring us much heartache.
God is merciful and He is patient with His children, praise His name! Without
that trait to His character where would I now be, in a ditch begging bread?
However I live to face another day filled with opportunities to learn from my
Saviour and through the day test my decisions against the will of God for my
life. This is a wonderful truth when realised. God has opened my eyes to His
will for my life, where do you stand on this issue?
Signing off
Tyrone
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