Psalm 52
You people may be strong and brag about your sins, but God can be trusted day after day.
You plan brutal crimes, and your lying words cut like a sharp razor. You would rather do evil than good, and tell lies than speak the truth. You love to say cruel things, and your words are a trap.
God will destroy you forever! He will grab you and drag you from your homes. You will be uprooted and left to die.
When good people see this fearsome sight, they will laugh and say, "Just look at them now! Instead of trusting God, they trusted their wealth and their cruelty."
But I am like an olive tree growing in God's house, and I can count on his love forever and ever. I will always thank God for what he has done; I will praise his good name when his people meet.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
As Timothy nears the year-and-a-half mark, he is becoming increasingly independent. He doesn’t want me to keep my arm around him while we nap – he pushes me away. He wants to brush his own teeth and has a fit when I take away his toothbrush. He is starting to try to feed himself more than just cheerios and cut up fruit pieces. He wants to do it himself!
We’re a lot like a toddler… we often want to do it ourselves. We want to “make our own way.” That is fine if we are talking about being responsible for our daily upkeep – getting a job or doing the work at school and at home, paying our bills, being a decent and moral human being. But when we try to handle matters of the heart and mind on our own without God’s influence, we get into major trouble.
Matters of the heart and mind include things like choosing friends and “significant others,” choosing a major in college, deciding which job to take or where to live, making major purchases and investments, and choosing a church family. These are major choices in our lives, but even smaller, seemingly insignificant decisions are important, too. Often, we “fly by the seat of our pants,” and make decisions fairly quickly… think “love at first sight,” or “we just clicked,” or “it was too good of a deal to pass up,” or even, “I liked the music at their worship service.”
What we often fail to do is to stop and ask God, “Lord, is this right for me? Are you guiding me to this choice?” Equally bad is our tendency to ignore God. We receive the signs … we hear His voice at every turn as we receive advice from others … that little “intuitive” nudge that we are on the right or wrong path, and more… and we forge ahead. Then we wonder where we went wrong or why things didn’t work out well.
Or, you may be saying, “I’ve operated this way for a long time, and I’ve done okay. I have great friends, a good job, plenty of money. All my bills are paid, and life is good!” The problem is that many people are lulled into a false sense of security … and a misguided confidence that “I did it my way.” And if you are thinking of people who seem to “get by with murder,” trust me… they don’t!
There used to be an advertising slogan … “Things go better with Coca-Cola!” I can assure you, things go better with GOD! No matter how well you believe your life is going, everything will go even better if you acknowledge God. When you consult God about the choices and decisions in your life, the outcomes will be better. When troubles come – and they will – you will be better equipped to handle them, if you are in close communication with God on a daily basis. Your “highs” will be higher, and your “lows” will be much more manageable.
The arrogance of “doing it myself” is for toddlers. Be a grown-up in your Christian faith and recognize the power of God to make everything better. Praise His good name … thank Him for what He has done … count on His love forever and ever … and stay firmly rooted in His blessings.
©2010 Debbie Robus
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