Our Problem With God
We think we are smarter than he is
Those who have attended church for any length are most likely familiar with Jesus’ warning about the broad and the narrow road.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. -- Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
Throughout scripture and humanity's history, we see person after person going down the broad road. And as Christ’s followers, we are not exempt! Many of us began the journey along the narrow road when we made a faith commitment to Jesus as our Savior. But we still have a problem with God! We keep returning to the wide road in how we live our lives.
Yet, God promises to teach us what is best. Listen to these words of hope and promise from our Lord.
"This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." -- Isaiah 48:17 NIV
Question: When God promises to teach us what is best for us and direct us in how we should live (the narrow road), why do so many take the broad road?
Answer: Every person who has ever lived has a problem with God being God!
Why do we all have a problem with God being God? Here are three reasons.
We are both selfish and self-centered - We believe "It's all about me!"
If we are truly honest, we each would love to have on our car a bumper sticker I saw recently that said - “I really am a pretty big deal.”
We think we know better than God - "I want to run my own life!"
Our sinful nature cries out that we are wiser than God and can make better decisions about life. Yet God reminds us…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” —- Isaiah 55:8-9
We think God's Ways are impossible or illogical - We think, "No way..."
And if we are honest, God’s ways are impossible and illogical - when viewed through our finite human intellect. Think about…
Joshua using trumpets as weapons
A virgin who was pregnant
A man who was executed but rose from the dead
A person who was fully man and fully God at the same time
According to scientific thought and rationale, these are illogical, improbable, and impossible. But that is why it is called “faith.” We must accept that God is who the Bible says he is, beyond all rational thought. God is incomprehensible! Because he is God, and we are not, we will never be able to fully understand him or his actions. They are beyond our comprehension!
As Christ's followers, we have believed that Jesus was indeed God incarnate, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he rose again to defeat death, and that he ascended back to heaven. We believe all of that… BUT we also (at times) believe that we know better than God when it comes to living our lives. And this is when we get into trouble. We must continue on the narrow road - no matter how illogical or impossible. We must live as James taught.
“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works-this person will be blessed in what he does.” — James 1:22-25 CSB
The only way to overcome our problem with God is through faith that he is God, that we are not, and living out the truth of his Word “teaches us what is the best” — no matter how much it is opposite of our desires and our logical thinking.