God or Man? Seems Obvious Right? But…

 I want to start out by making what may be a controversial statement or let me ask a question instead.

Do we know that everyday we make a choice to choose man over God?

Aha! Some people might be saying, speak for yourself Angela. Not me. It’s God for me all the way!

Well, that’s great. That’s how it should be. 

For the Bible tells us in Psalms 118 verse 8 - “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.”

However, we see everyday how some people choose to live - drinking, indulging in drugs, committing adultery and fornication, gossiping, lying, cheating, stealing, killing one another etc. 

More people have chosen not to follow Jesus than those of us who do. 

According to statistics - About 31% of the world’s population identifies as Christian. The remaining 69% includes those who identify with other religions, such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, or as non-religious or atheist.

This means that for every one Christian, there are about 2.23 non-Christians.

So in actual fact, there are twice the amount of people in the world out there relying on their own strength to get through in this life. 

Then there are those of us who can say like the Psalmist David as he prepared for battle, Psalms 20 verse 7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

We know that true security and victory come from God, not from human might, military power, or material means.

But guess what? Even with the profession of our faith, sometimes, in our actions, in our words, we choose man - our flesh. 

Yes, we do.

Because we refuse to put a bridle on our tongues and we say what we feel like, when we feel like, because ain’t nobody’s gonna insult me and get away with it.

We go partying with our friends and take a little wine for the stomach sake because we want to fit in with the popular crowd.

We choose to watch shows on television or social media with curse words because we say oh we don’t speak them so it’s ok.

What are we doing here? We are choosing man over God. We are allowing our flesh to dictate how we live, instead of living according to the principles God has laid out in His Word for us.

Because what does God say in Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

And Proverbs 16:2 “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”

Family, the Bible clearly teaches that God is our ultimate authority and refuge. We trust in God because He provides a foundation that human wisdom cannot match.

1 Corinthians 3:19 “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;”

Many times too, we get caught up with the crowd because we are too proud to tell them listen, I can’t do what you’re asking me to do, or go where you want me to go. In fact, by the life we live, they should already know. But not so with some people. Because many find themselves, again, compromising. And then when we run into trouble, we wonder why.

Family, God calls on us and expects us to follow Him, not man. 

Acts 5:29 ““Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

But in some real subtle ways, we fail to do so. We worship the blessing rather than the Blesser, the gift and not the Giver, the creature rather than the Creator.

While it may seem obvious to choose God over man, in practice, we often struggle with this choice due to the influence of culture, our own desires, or the opinions of others. 

Scripture calls us to place our trust fully in God, recognizing His sovereignty, wisdom, and unchanging nature, while remaining vigilant against the subtle ways in which we might be tempted to elevate man above God. 

Jeremiah 17:5-8 reminds us, “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.””

Let us be encouraged today to choose God over man. Let us choose to anchor our faith in God and God alone. 

Amen

aub - 19 Aug 24

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