I was in a store some years ago when I happened upon a mom with two young children in tow. They were being totally grumpy and whiny as only young kids can be, begging just to be let alone to roam the store by themselves. The mother’s young son finally blurted out, “Why can’t we?” to which his mother, in exasperation, shot back, “Because I’m bigger than you are!” End of discussion! Mom’s rules will be followed!
There are credible reasons we have rules, regulations and laws. It reminds me of a difficult time in the Old Testament when the land was in a state of unrest and turmoil. The Israelites had turned away from God and did “what was right in their own eyes.” In the book of Judges, we find this phrase used seven times! We’re not talking about people who chose to do wrong – they actually chose to do right. The problem was they chose for themselves what was right — and wrong. They alone made that decision. It turned out to be a recipe for disaster.
But doesn’t this sound exactly like the condition the United States is in today?! We are in a state of unrest, distress and confusion, all because we, ourselves, have decided what is right – from the president to city mayors on down. Never mind the laws – we now individually decide truth. We will do what is right in our own eyes. As a nation, we have fallen away from God and we are in distress! What a mess!
No person has the right to decide what is right and wrong. No preacher has that right; no church has that right, no young person, no government, no Supreme Court, no gay community, no feminist has that right; God only has the right to decide what’s right and wrong. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
A writer – Toba Beta – penned this insightful writing of law: “If you violate laws of God, you’re a sinner. If you violate laws of men, you’re a criminal. If you violate your own laws, you’re pathetic.” Kinda funny but pretty true!
In 1992, Dennis Lee Curtis was arrested for armed robbery in South Dakota. Curtis though, apparently had scruples about his thievery – in his wallet, police found a sheet of paper on which he had written rules for himself – guidelines for his robberies.
~ I will not kill anyone unless I have to.
~ I will take cash and food stamps – no checks.
~ I will rob only at night.
~ I will not wear a mask.
~ I will not rob mini-marts or 7-Eleven stores.
~ If chased by a vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line.
~ I will rob only seven months out of the year.
But “doing what was right in his own eyes” proved to be pretty pathetic, and when Curtis stood before the judge, he was convicted by a higher set of laws.
The truth is, that without a God-centered standard for right and wrong, without any absolute plumb line, we will always be off track. We need to see how truly limited we are without the Lord on our side! With such a lack of knowledge that we have about how this world works, why would we ever think that we know better than God?
There’s a story about a national magazine that assigned a photographer to take pictures of a large forest fire. He was told a small plane would be waiting for him at the airport to fly him over the blaze. The photographer arrived at the airstrip and sure enough, there was the plane. He jumped in with his equipment and shouted, “Okay – let’s go!” The pilot, looking tense, turned the plane into the wind and soon they were high in the air, though flying erratically.
“Fly over the south side of the fire,” said the photographer, “and make several low-level passes.” “Why?” asked the nervous pilot? “Because I’m going to take pictures!” yelled the photographer. “I’m a photographer – we take pictures.” The stunned pilot replied, “You mean you’re not the flight instructor?” Oops!
Having a good flight instructor on board would be the ultimate security for any pilot, much the same way God’s laws provide security for our daily life! Cecil B. DeMille once made this striking comment, “Man has made 32 million laws since the Commandments were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai…but he has never improved on God’s law.” Just some scruples to chew on!
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Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can contact them at DPCityChurch.org.
Susan Beckett | The Dwelling Place City Church
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