Tuesday, October 18, 2016

So, why do Christians argue with God?

    We know that we are wrong if we are arguing with God.  So, why do we do it?  Why do we think our arguments will change the perfect mind of God?  After all we think, ponder, meditate on, and call upon the Lord to come over to our way of thinking, he is still God and has the perfect and final word.  Can't say that about any wisdom I have.  How about you?  I finished reading the book of Solomon a week or so ago.  Solomon is all about wisdom (that's what he asked God for).  I'm now in Proverbs and again, it's all about wisdom.  Not ours but His wisdom.  Solomon indulged himself in every kind of pleasure and in the end found it all to be meaningless.  He also had lots of wives, hundreds of concubines, riches beyond belief and the whole world seeking his wisdom.  Yet, he said that all is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  His conclusion (one of them) was that contentment in God was all that mattered.  Being content with the Lord God was the ultimate meaningful encounter we can have as believers.  So, why do we, some thousands of years later, still seek pleasure and forego the contentment we can have in God?
     I've spoken before about how I live my life in a "state of positive discontent".  It makes sense to me.  I've blessed for the experiences brought to me by God to discipline and shape me to the man I am today.  No, I haven't arrived.  The state of positive discontent is a place that is fluid.  I'm content in where God has me but I know that there is more.  So in my discontent I seek more of who and what God is to me.  Here's the difference, we can think, act and say that we are content but we find ourselves in this struggle with God because we want life our way while at the same time espouse our feelings that God is our everything when we clearly are mistaken.  How do I know that?  Because everywhere you look people are, in their discontent, trying to make God what they want him to be while those who are contented try to be more of what God wants them to be.  This, in spite of the world and it's influence on us delivers a dilemma of who do we serve?  Who do you serve? Do you argue with God?  Do you try to get God to be okay with your sin?  Look around you at the Christians who struggle with this dilemma and you will see that what I've written is more than true.
     The tenant of the Cristian faith is found in one's need for a Savior from their dead life.  A life that is filled with everything but peace and contentment.  This Christian faith is watered down and focused on "not going to hell" that the focus of the conversion is fear rather than humble love for the work of Jesus on the cross so that we can live.  Fear of hell is not in the Christian vocabulary.  It's not found in the Bible.  Jesus didn't bring a single follower into the fold by telling them that they had better repent to stay out of hell.  He told them to repent and be born again so that they and we could live not only life, but life eternally with him.  He didn't make it easier either like we tend to do in our Sunday schools and youth groups.  Take that along with the "tolerance" of behavior that God has been clear about and you have the disaster that causes us to argue with God.  Coming full circle, we are faced with the question of why and for what?  Arguing with God is fruitless and indicates you are not His disciple as you may have thought you were.  You have made a decision to be oppositional to God and not in line with his will.  It's always your choice.

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