There’s No Other Way

If we are in any way serious about following God there are a few things we have to accept from the start. One of those is that God is, indeed, God. A second follows directly from the first; there is no god other than God. A third is a direct result of the second; we are not God. That is to say that you are not God. I am not God. Only God is God.

If any of these statements individually seem trite, or trivial, to you, and especially if the sum of them taken together seem trite, or trivial, spend some time contemplating them more deeply. A soul trying to make its way through this world without those three concepts as a philosophical anchor is most assuredly bound for failure.

Understanding them and, even more, accepting them, gives you a basis for understanding and accepting Biblical principles over which others stumble. This is serious business in regard to eternity. Please don't take it lightly.

At the most basic level, saying that God is God means He is in control of your life. He is, in fact, in control of every event and every situation that will ever occur in the universe. He is the one who makes the rules, who determines what is right and good, and what is wrong and evil. (We will take a closer look at what it means for God to be in control in next week's blog. We'll examine the paradox of how man can excercise his own free will and yet God will remain in control.)

Saying that there is no other individual of any description that is God means that what anyone else may have to say about any matter, regardless of what that matter is, should be totally disregarded if it is different than what God says about that matter.

Saying that you are not God is saying that you have turned control of your life over to God and will let Him guide your life according to His principles. It means that you understand that the issues of life are not your call. God decided all of those issues before you (or anyone) was on the scene and you have no choice but to abide within his parameters.

The reason these three concepts are so important is that it is in regard to them that many people go astray from God's plan. How so? Failing to accept that God is God leads to the "I know that's what God said, but . . ." approach. For example, "I know Jesus said the only acceptable reason for remarriage after divorce is adultery (Matthew 19:9), but I've got to follow my heart." Or, "I know God said we should be regular in our attendance of worship services (Hebrews 10:25) but I find organized religion stilted and not emotionally satisfying," and people disrespect the church which Jesus gave His life to establish.

Failing to accept that there is no other God breeds a society of people turning to self-help gurus instead of God for guidance in their daily decisions. Failing to accept that there is no other God allows for cult-like "worship" of societal/political figures who have no better idea than anyone else regarding how to order one's life. It enables "experts" to hold sway and maintain followers when the main difference between them and the rest of us is the hubris of the "experts" in convincing the common folks that the "experts" know best. If you get counsel from a source other than God, and you follow that counsel 'religiously' even when it differs from God's own words, then something besides God is the god of your life.

My guess is that there is no sane individual actually claiming to be God, i.e. failing to accept that they are not God. But some people see everything as being all about them. God cannot be the center of their universe because they are not the center of His. Right is defined as what supports them, wrong is defined as what detracts from them. God's definitions are not part of their world. Though their life may not be blatantly evil, they live by definition an unGodly life. God is simply not in it. If you make your decisions based solely on what you prefer without considering God's word on the matter, and especially if your preference is in violation of God's principles, something besides God is the god of your life.

We've gone full circle and we're back where we started. If you intend to follow God you must accept that He is God. He determines right and wrong. He determines your manner of life. You absolutely cannot allow any one or any thing to overrule God's word, no matter who they are. If what someone, anyone, says is different than what God says, you must ignore them and follow God, even if it puts you in physical peril. We will all have physical desires for the 'shiny/sparkly' things with which this world tempts us to put God aside and indulge our lusts. Every time this happens we must overcome our lusts and heed God's admonitions for purity and righteousness, even if it means abandoning great wealth or power. There is no other way.

Exodus 3:14 "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'"

Deut. 4:35 "To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him."

Deut. 4:39 " Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is no other."

Deut. 6:4 "Hear ,O Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

Isaiah 45:5 "I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God. "

Ephesians 4:6 "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Phil. 2:10-11 "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

John 14:6 "Jesus said unto him, ''I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me."

There is no other way.