You have two choices: Your Way or God's Way
All of us have the choice of who we will follow, and that won’t change. But one way leads to freedom, and the other way leads to death. I'll let you figure out which one is which.
Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you. (Jeremiah 10:6-7)
Aren’t toddlers the greatest?
I can say this because I don’t have them. I enjoy all my friends’ kids, and then I give them back once the day is over.
Toddlers are something else, man. They are so confident. They are so sure they know what they are doing. They march into a room and expect doors to open for them, red carpets to roll out, that all candy belongs to them, and that nobody anywhere can tell them what to do. They are living, breathing train wrecks.
The astonishing thing is that no toddler has to be taught to behave that way. That sort of thing is hardwired into us from the moment we begin.
I love my best friend’s four year old. This child is a firecracker. And while she is truly one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever met, she has some spice in her. She’s strong and independent and fierce, and to be honest, it’s probably a good thing. The kid knows what she likes and knows what she wants, and her mom has her hands full trying to make sure the kid doesn’t do something crazy.
Kids don’t want to do things the way their parents do them. They want to be in charge of their own lives. And even though that is universal with every toddler I’ve ever met, it could be my own personal biography. Because I don’t want to do things that I don’t want to do. I want to be in charge of my own life. And I’m not a toddler, so I don’t have an excuse!
I will be like the Most High.
This week, we are studying the Five I Will Statements of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14), and this final statement is the real kicker. Notice Satan didn’t say he would be greater than God. He didn’t say he would be more powerful than God. He didn’t even say that he would conquer God. He just said that he would be equal to God.
It’s the mindset that thinks God can be God, but that we don’t have to do what He says. We can control our own lives. We can do life the way we want to, and we don’t have to listen to anyone who says differently.
Sounds kind of toddlerish, doesn’t it?
Part of human nature is wanting to be God in our own lives. This is the original sin, the choice that caused our first parents Adam and Even to fall. Humanity hasn’t changed much since the Garden. We all want to be in charge. We all want to be our own bosses. But the truth is that we can’t.
Our understanding of how the universe functions is too limited. Our perspective on our own lives is too small. And we don’t have the power to bear the responsibility of our own choices. Only God can do those things, as Scripture says over and over again.
There is no one like Him. There is no one greater. There is no one better.
God has revealed Himself to us so that we can model our behavior after Him, not so that we can attempt to usurp His authority in our lives. We can’t do that. It’s not even possible for us to do that. But we still try.
Whenever we take the reins of our lives back from God and tell Him that we know better, we are walking in the footsteps of Satan. We are repeating the sin of our first parents. Yes, we have free will. Free will matters to God. All of us have the choice of who we will follow, and that won’t change.
But if you choose to follow yourself, your own path, and your own way, you will be ultimately responsible for the consequences of your actions. And if life has taught us anything, we know that none of us can pay for our own consequences. Even Satan himself can’t pay for his choices. He is destined for fire.
We only have two choices, friends: Our way or God’s way. By now I’m sure you know which way Satan chose. Just know that because of Jesus, you have the freedom to choose differently.
Questions for Reflection
Why do children think they know so much?
When was a time in your life that you wanted to “be like God”?
How did the choices you made during that time work out for you?
Weekly Memory Verse
