“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28 NIV)
Sometimes, God’s judgement is letting us have what we want. Paul, in his letter to the Roman’s describes how God let people do what they wanted to do:
“Therefore God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts…” (Romans 1:24 NIV)
One of God’s gifts to us is free will. This topic is highly debatable. Perspectives on free will vary greatly. But we all have the right to choose how we live our lives. God gave us that as a gift. We can choose to spend our lives pursuing a relationship with God, or not.
People choose not to follow God every day. And even those of us who are following God have moments in our day when we choose not too. Our problem: we think we know best, but we really don’t. We make bad choices because we don’t have all the information. Only God knows all the details. Only God knows what’s truly best for you. What we want isn’t always what’s best.
What we want isn’t always what’s best.
When I was younger, I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do. I thought I knew what was best for my life. I refused to listen to anyone, including God. As a result, men took advantage of my gullibility. I lived beyond my means and incurred thousands of dollars in debt. I alienated my friends and family. I struggled with alcohol. My life was a wreck. As I’ve said many times, “I spent my 20’s screwing my life up. I spent my thirties healing from my 20’s.” My life didn’t turn around until I admitted, I wasn’t making good choices.
Admitting the choices we are making are not good ones is tough. We all make bad choices. Accepting our own imperfections is harder than accepting others. We can justify why someone did something because of whatever is going on in their life at the moment. Yet we don’t give ourselves the same grace. We don’t let ourselves off the hook.
God wants us to let ourselves off the hook. He wants us to give Him our bad choices. He’ll help us overcome them. He’ll guide us into a new way of living where we make better choices. As we grow in our relationship with Him, our steps will become surer. Our trust in Him deeper, as He navigates us through the days of our lives.
Giving us what we want isn’t always what is best. Trusting God’s will is always the best choice, even if we don’t understand it.
Question of the Day:
What choice do you need to give to God today?
Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36 NIV, Romans 1:18-32 NIV, Psalm 10:1-15 NIV, Proverbs 19:6-7 NIV
