Friday, July 11, 2014
It's God's Fault
A
friend mine told me about the day he walked into his local bank and cheerfully
greeted the tellers. After they responded in kind, one of them commented,
"Whenever you come in here the whole room lights up. How is it that you are always so happy?" Truth be told, my friend had not always been
a happy person. In fact, at one time his
life was very troubled and his lifestyle had almost killed him. So, what changed? Why was he so happy?
I
am certain that, if asked, he would say it was all God's fault. You see, my friend's life had taken him to
such desperate places that, although he did not consider himself to be religious,
he began praying to for God for help.
God used a co-worker to lead him to a group of people who were able to
help him experience the same thing experienced by the Jewish song writer who
put it this way:
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose
record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete
honesty! When
I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and
night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like
water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins
to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess
my rebellion to the LORD.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (Psalms
32:1-5 NLT)
Real joy does not come from education, riches
or achievement. This is easily
illustrated by noting the high rate of divorce, addiction and suicide in the
lives of the rich and the famous. Real
joy comes from having a deep sense of peace and wholeness. Real joy comes from knowing that our hearts
are right with our Maker. But most of us
would admit we are imperfect; we have offended God and people. All of us know we have done things we should
not have done. Only God can relieve us
of these weights. If we find true,
lasting peace it will be God's fault.
Ironically, we sometimes run from the very
thing we desire. Sometimes we sabotage a
life of joy because we refuse to leave our comfort zone. This was the case for an entire town that
Jesus visited. Upon his arrival he
encountered a man who was so violent and troubled that he lived naked in the caves
of the cemetery. When Jesus delivered
this man, his neighbors found him clothed and in his right mind. However,
the demons that had troubled this man had been ordered into a herd of
swine, who promptly committed suicide.
The townspeople were so troubled by the death of the pigs that they
overlooked the miracle of the changed life; "the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave
them alone." (Mark 5:17 NLT) Isn't
it strange how we often run from the things that will help us the most?
God
has provided a path to peace and joy. He
invites everyone to simply come to Him, confess their sins, and ask
forgiveness. He invites everyone to be
baptized in His name in order to have their sins washed away. And He has promised His Spirit to those who
seek Him. Those who have received the
Holy Spirit will agree that it is "joy unspeakable and full of
glory." That joy is a gift from God
- it's all His fault.
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