The Power to Change by Rick Warren “God is testing us to show us that we are merely animals.” (Ecclesiastes 3:18 CEV) Wars, revolutions, natural disasters, sordid criminal behavior, and political division dominate our news most nights. And your sin isn’t any better! Think of all the lies you’ve told, pain you’ve caused, and good you’ve left undone. It’s easy to look around at the consequences of our sin and wonder why God lets it continue. If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t he just stop our sin before it gets ugly? The truth is, one of the reasons God doesn’t keep us from sinning (besides wanting to give us a free choice) is that he wants us to realize how much we need him. The Bible says, “God is testing us to show us that we are merely animals” (Ecclesiastes 3:18 CEV). Animals don’t have a conscience. They do whatever feels good. If they want to kill another animal, they do so. If they want to take another animal’s lunch, they’ll do it. They don’t have a conscience. But we do have a conscience. Humans don’t just do whatever they feel like doing. They have the capacity to make decisions based on what’s right and wrong. That ability is a gift from God. Without God, we’d behave just like the animals. Without God, life’s a disaster. We need God, and we need a Savior. If you didn’t need a Savior, God wouldn’t have wasted the time of sending his Son. God didn’t want you to be subject only to the animalistic desires of your flesh. He wanted you to have freedom from those desires, so he sent a Savior to you. We all have areas of our lives where we still live out those animalistic, carnal desires. God sent us Jesus so we don’t have to stay like that. You may think you can’t change on your own. You’re right! You can’t. If you could have, you would have, but you can’t, so you won’t. You don’t have the power to change. But God does. You need him in your life. Talk It Over What are some of the most important ways humans differ from animals? In what areas of your life do you deal the most with carnal desires? Who can you confess that sin to? In what way does realizing that you can’t change your desires on your own provide you with real, lasting freedom in Christ?
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:02:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015