Collisions

Did you know that we (the human race) had a chance to live forever in the perfect Garden of Eden and walk alongside God? I was re-reading Genesis the other day and came across this verse: " ²² And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). Adam and Eve only had ONE rule while living in the Garden of Eden. That rule was to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. Upon eating from this tree, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Had they not listened to the serpent, they could have stayed in the garden. If they would have listened to the one rule they had been given, they could have eaten from that tree of life and lived there forever with God. 

     We have rules we have to abide by everyday, and these rules are put in place for very good reasons just like the rule God gave Adam and Eve. Every morning we wake up we have to decide if we are going to live for ourselves (earthly things), or if we are going to live to honor and  glorify God. These "collisions" in life can ,and will be, some of the biggest struggles we face. For those of you that know me, you have seen my sleeve tattoo. That is what my tattoo is all about. I must wake up everyday and figure out what kind of decisons I will make, how I will speak, and how I will act. God gave us free will to do whatever we choose. I was struggling with addiction for a couple of years. I had chosen to live for myself, and I felt really convicted of this. I began trying to stop drinking on my own without success for a few months. Finally after getting some help, I have been sober for 8 months now. My tattoo represents certain "collisions" I struggle with and how I need to be intentional about seeking God for help and living for him everyday. We all face these rules and "collisions" of life, and we must decide if we want to abide by these rules or be subjected to the "collisions" on our own. 

     When we decide to honor God and abide by the rules he has put in place for us, He will honor that in ways we cannot even comprehend, but we must choose to do this. We must put God first. Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Then, Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart". When we choose to put God first He will give us the desires of or heart. The thing about putting God first is that when we do this, we grow closer to him. When we grow closer to Him our thoughts, goals, and dreams become the same goals and dreams God has for us. I was listening to Ben Courson speak and he used an analogy I will never forget. He said when we draw closer to God, God rubs off on us and instills His plans for our life in our heart like second hand smoke "rubs off" on us and affects our lungs. This is when God does more and bigger things in our lives than we could ever imagine. 

     Now, don't read this the wrong way by thinking it is all about rules. God gave us free will to do whatever we want. We choose to either follow these rules or not follow them. But when you have genuine faith and you pursue God you want to follow these rules or guidelines. James, Jesus' brother, says that you cannot have faith alone. Having faith is believing there is one God but even the demons believe that. In James 2:26, James says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead". So, faith is more of what you believe and the deeds (i.e. following the rules or guidelines) are how you show your faith. It brings more glory to God, and makes Him even happier, when we choose Him over the earthly things. Put it this way. If you are in love with someone, would it flatter you more, or make you happier, if they loved you back for who you are no matter what, or if they loved you because you told them they have to love you? It is the same with God. God could make us love Him if he wanted to, but he gave us free will because He wants us to choose to love Him. 

     What are some of the "collisions" you face? I want to challenge you to really think about this. Pray that God reveals something to you, and pray that he changes your heart towards whatever this may be.

Always Rambling,

Jonathan