Dogs are very smart creatures that don't get enough credit for their intelligence. Our Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, for example, always heads for the cool tile floor after coming in from the heat and humidity of Florida. He gladly positions himself near our air conditioning intake vent as well to maximize his comfort. He is a smart creature to be certain, and I only wish we, who are made in God's image, could use our intelligence as well. Instead, we search for answers in the most complicated ways imaginable.
When going through Focus on the Family's "The Truth Project", the tour guide, Del
Tackett, talked about the various aspects of life: History, labor, arts and media, science, philosophy, ethics, church, God and man, community. family, state and law. Each point on the compass is determined by our overall worldview. Our perspective on man, God, Truth and Social Order will affect how we relate to all these other topics in life. He rightly points out that there is no where on the compass we can go without God touching every aspect of life. However, man often wants to find all the answers himself by looking for solutions in "the box"....that is within our world system rather than in God. This is why I say that dogs are often smarter than we are. They look for a simple solution. If they are hot, they simply go lie in a cool spot. We, on the other hand, complicate matters thinking the more complex the solution is the smarter we are considered to be in the end.
God has given us the answers and all we need for life and godliness is in His Word (2 Peter 1:3). Yet, many of us (and I include myself) get caught up looking for answers in this world or as Del Tackett would say, "inside the box". We look to government for solutions often hoping our representatives will produce some legislation that might solve a problem. Others turn to education to improve life thinking that this will eliminate all the inequalities in our world. Lately, there are those who feel that the philosophy of Karl Marx, or a modified version, will produce the utopia most people long for. However, without God and a right view of man as defined in the Bible, we will never find the answers that we seek.
Each of us has a "god-shaped vacuum" in our lives and unless or until we allow God to fill that void, we will never have the satisfaction or answers we desire. We want what we lost in the beginning....paradise, but as Paul David Tripp tells us in his devotional book "New Morning Mercies", "This isn't paradise. You can't make it into paradise. Paradise is coming, and your place was secured for you on the cross of Jesus Christ" (pg. for September 17th). What he says is true if we are believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our Lord will come again and establish justice restoring the Paradise that was lost when sin entered the world. Until that time, we can try as we might to fix things in this broken world, but we will never regain paradise through our own efforts. This does not mean that we should not apply our best efforts to help others or shine a light for Christ wherever we can. Christ called us to be salt and light while we are here. However, we do not have the ability to create a utopia. Instead, Christ has called us to share the Good News of salvation and make disciples of all nations.
Our true citizenship is not of this world. We are called to be in the world but not of it because it is broken by sin. Instead, ours is a rescue mission. We are to call the lost into the light and truth found in God's Word. Yes, while we are here, we are to make the most of our vocation, education, and life with the goal of bringing glory to God and leading others to Christ. The results of our efforts depend upon the Lord. Often, though, we get so engulfed in the concerns of this world and its circumstances that we lose hope and focus on what the Lord has called us to do. This is when we need to step back and remind ourselves that the answers will not be found "in the box" of this world's perspective. Our answers can be found in the truth of God's Word which will never pass away. We are promised that there will be a day when we will have the perfect government, justice and peace we so desire. Paradise will come again when Christ returns. Until then, God has called us to stand in the armor He has given to us. Ephesians 6:13 tells us: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." By doing this, we will glorify the Lord and fulfill His purpose for our lives. Selah!
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