God’s Way not Our’s

Last week, I wrote about the order and beauty of God’s creation, including humanity. Today, we continue on to chapter three, where things become messy. Humanity goes and eats from the tree God clearly told them not to. This results in being cast out of the garden and the broken world as we know it today.

For a long time, I asked why Eve would do something so boneheaded and why Adam would go along with it. However, the longer I’m on this earth, the more I realize I’m no better than Eve or Adam. Yes, God has been working in me but day after day I allow my self to slip out of relationship with God for my own selfish wants, desires, and perspectives.

I have come to realize that even religion and church can become vices that separate me from my heavenly father and creator. There are times that the desire to act as God made me is not out of submission to Him but because it makes me feel better about myself in comparison to others. Honestly, even my morning coffee routine can take me away from my creator when I depend on caffeine to function. When I can’t drink a plain cup of Folgers because it just doesn’t taste good enough.

Some might wonder why I’m not calling out the big sins of our day. Simply, it’s because I think we have to realize the core of our sins before we can start walking with others to help them be freed from theirs.

We must realize our absolute need and dependence on the cross. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. We have to see that there are many ways we choose to follow our will instead of our creators. I think we sometimes call out others sin because it is easier than recognizing just how easily we sin. And how far we fall short each and every day.

So today I encourage you to reflect on your day and week and identify the ways you have walked with Christ following His will and where you were following your own and then invite you to pray asking that he would make you more aware in those moments and help you surrender those parts of your life to Him. I’ll join you in doing the same.

How have you followed God’s will this week?

Where have you ignored God’s will this week?

Where have you followed your own will this week?

Lord, we thank you for your love in sending Christ to live, die, and be raised to life so we could be restored to our relationship with you. We see the many ways we ignore your will and choose our own. Help us see these moments more quickly and turn to you more readily. Amen