By Calvin R. and Lisa Are Wulf
Living for God (TM)
"Who's Running the Show?"
By Calvin and Lisa Wulf
"Jesus said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" Matthew 28:18 (NIV)
"Listen to this," she muses to her husband. "An advice columnist wrote about a friend who's concerned that she won't be in heaven with her. So the writer says, 'I assured her that even though I might not be in her heaven, she would definitely be in mine.'"
"Do advice gurus run the universe these days?" he responds.
When did humans take charge? We believe we control our own destiny. And why not? We're rich and powerful. We extend our lives with medical miracles. We seed the clouds when we need more rain. The truly savvy among us even beat the stock market. Nothing can stop us.
But are we really as powerful as we think? What authority do we actually have? In reality we can't even add a day to our lives or control whether our hair turns gray. So how could we think that we're able to engineer the details of heaven?
The advice columnists of the world aren't really dispensers of spiritual and moral truth. But so many people believe them. Sometimes we prefer human wisdom, especially when it makes us feel good. Yet that doesn't change the ultimate reality.
It boils down to this. God is in charge. We're not. That's it. He does give us the freedom to make some decisions for ourselves. But we can't control every detail. In the end, God is the final authority. Our job is to believe him and follow his direction.
When you're tempted to listen to the advice captains, why not do this instead:
· Take an inventory of your thoughts. Can you find delusions of your own power?
· Analyze your decisions. Are you trying to control things you can't?
· Put aside the media experts. Let God run the show.
Are you making decisions that don't really belong to you? Stop listening to the siren song of worldly sages. Just yield to the One who really does have the answers. Besides, running the universe is way too stressful anyway.
Living for God (TM) offers resources on Christian living. Check them out at www.livingforgod.net or call (719) 578-8837.
© 2007 Calvin R. Wulf and Lisa Are Wulf