Earning our Way to God - Like Draining the Sea with a Spoon

Just to keep you on your toes, we're going to do a little interactive exercise today.  Go to your kitchen, grab a spoon then open up another browser window and sign onto Travelocity.  Buy a ticket to the nearest beach, pack your spoon, and go.  When you get to the beach look out at the expanse of the great sea, smell the ocean air, and walk down to the water's edge.  Take out your spoon and begin to scoop spoonfuls of water.  Throw them far up onto the shore so that the water does not run back into the sea.  When you have drained the ocean of it's contents, come on back so we can finish this post.....

Ridiculous? Yeah, I guess, but then again I think it makes a good point.  Almost every religion and worldview of man attempts to do one of two things:

1) Bring man closer to a god or gods

2) Help man find contentment, happiness, peace, or joy within himself

I want to look briefly at both of these attempts and show that you might as well get your spoon and head to the beach.

Every religion that is based on works or merit ultimately leaves the people without hope. Everyone who has ever tried to be good enough comes to realize that it's impossible.  The ancient pagans and the ancient Jews all understood that about four seconds after their sacrifice, they said, thought, did, or failed to do something that negated it.  Dang!~  Off to get another ram for the altar or another virgin for the volcano.  Five minutes after confession some guy cuts you off as you merge onto the highway.  Dang!~  Back to confession (I'm not saying confession is "works" but that our sinfulness makes it a short-lived remedy).  Now, does that mean we don't want to or try to be good?  Of course not!  Does that mean we don't admit and confess our mistakes and wrong doings? No.  But if we think we can crawl our way up the mountain of perfection to a perfectly holy God we are fooling ourselves.  Actually, any of us who believe in a holy and perfect God have found that when we scoop five spoonfuls of water out of our broken lives, two seep back in.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the church at Rome, "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being, I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretch I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?"  Earlier in the chapter he said, "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do."  Paul understood that even though it was good and right for him to strive to please God, it was futile to think he could earn his way to him.  Paul helped us to see the grace of God.  He helped us to see that God wants our trust.  He asks for our obedience but the rule (the Law) he put in place was there to show us our need for a Savior, our need for grace.

Even if you have not come to the realization of the existence of God or the truth of his Son Jesus Christ, you probably are still trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon.  You might be working more hours to earn more money to find more security.  You might be looking for someone to love or to love you and maybe this is outside of your marriage because the joy you had there is now gone.  You might be caught in the endless cycle of highs and lows associated with drug or alcohol addiction.  And, even if you have a "comfortable" life there is always that lurking feeling that you could lose what you have.  Every goal we place before ourselves with the intention of achieving peace becomes a platform for the next goal because the last one didn't quite do it.  Even if you are one of those who still say, "I'm happy and content and have joy." There is still the great equalizer, death.  It always seems to come and snatch away even that which we feel we have hidden away.  As far as I can tell 1/1 people still die.  (Sorry if that sounds negative but it is truth)

So what's the point?  First, if you are trying in vain to succeed or to achieve a good life, know that without God and without the hope of eternal life you will ultimately come up short. Second, if you believe in God understand that He has provided a way for you to have a relationship with him that is beyond your ability to earn.  Jesus Christ provided that way by taking your sin upon himself and paying the penalty you (and I) deserved.  I don't know about you but even though life can be really wonderful it is also extremely hard and I have given up scooping spoonfuls of water out of an endless sea.  Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."  If you're tired and burdened with all of the scooping, come home.  There is a joy that comes regardless of circumstance when you begin to see God's plan for eternity. I said "Joy" not "Happiness". They are very different.  If you have tried unsuccessfully to earn your way to God and are living in defeat or in condemnation, drop us a note. If you just want to comment, complain, question, or doubt feel free to contact us. We're OK with that.  

By the way, our Podcast will be posted next week.  Ivor's CD was released last week and you can purchase a copy via the CD Baby website or purchase individual songs on iTunes (both should be available in about 5 days)  We'll keep you up to date.

Until next week,

David