Have thine own way

Have you ever been a place in your life where you felt like asking God to leave you alone? There is a classic Christian hymn, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord". Someone has said that we can say that to God, or God can say that to us. When God allows us to have our own way, he allows us to rebel against him and miss out on the benefits of his grace.

I encourage people to avoid asking God to leave them alone. We need him in our lives. As many theologians have stated, our purpose in life is to know God and to enjoy fellowship with our Creator forever. So, what happens when we abandon faith in God?

Many people think that religion does not belong in the public schools. They are OK with other world religions being taught or celebrated but are careful to not give Christianity too much attention. We are blessed, in our region, to have school officials who attempt to allow religious freedom for all groups. However, some mistakenly believe that if you put down the majority, you will elevate the minority.

Jesus teaches us to humble ourselves if we want to be elevated. What happens when we ignore Christian-Judeo teachings? Another belief system or philosophy will take its place. Have we made a state religion of secular humanism?

We believe the God of the Bible is good, holy, just and righteous. In the absence of God, there is evil, immorality, injustice and unrighteousness. Does anyone prefer to live in a world that is full of evil? People who advocate policies that unleash immorality seem surprised when crime rates rise and businesses leave their communities.

Our error is in assuming that humans are morally good. Scripture shows us that people are basically sinful. Our natural desire is to be selfish and cruel. We can easily see these flaws in others, but we have difficulty perceiving our own shortcomings.

Romans 3:10-18 declares, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no on seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."

What is the solution to this spiritual condition? Take away weapons and freedoms? Offer more governmental control of our lives? We need a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus. Without an internal moral compass directing society into righteousness, the only solutions will be of an external nature.

If you love freedom and prefer a self-governing society, the biggest mistake you could make is to remove God from the equation. Those who rewrite history are attempting to erase the influence of the Christian faith from the record.

Even among some Evangelicals, there is an unhealthy fear of Christian Nationalism at the mention of God and country. I want God to bless America. Do you?

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people wanted to be like other nations and instead of being a theocracy, they begged God to give them a king.

In 1 Samuel 8:10-22, the prophet Samuel warns the people about monarchies. He says a king will take their sons and daughters and force them into servitude. The king will take their possessions for his own and leave them with little. The result would be that they would cry out to God for deliverance from the king, but the Lord would not answer their request.

Like ancient Israel, we reject God in favor of a secular government, and then we wonder why God has abandoned us. He allows us to have our own way and then we complain. Life is better when we trust God and live by biblical principles. This is true individually and collectively.

Let us think about this the next time we sing, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" in church.