July 14, 202

     I have a friend who I heard tell a little about his life. This friend is now a preacher and a very capable one. That being said he has lived a life which included some bad stuff. When he was younger, he lived in a famously rough city in the US. To supplement his income he began to sell drugs. First it was not a lot, just a little pot to make ends meet. But he soon learned that harder drugs brought a bigger pay day. With that knowledge he moved into selling cocaine and methamphetamine and other things. 

     During this part of his life his description is challenging. He was making lots of money driving a nice car and able to do and have whatever he wanted. His description of this time was “It felt great.” In fact he says he can remember thinking to himself “how could his parents religion (Christianity) be right when his life was so good without it.” 

     This reveals something critical about the heart and mind of man; It is not a reliable guide for life. The wise man warns us of this truth, “There is a way that seems right to a man but it’s end is death.” Jeremiah reveals this same truth when he says, “It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” 

     Our own life and desires illustrate this truth very well. What person craves green vegetables or omega three fatty acids? When have you ever thought wow I could really go for some lean protein right now? What we crave is fat and salt and sugar. The things doctors tell us lead to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and all kinds of health problems.  When it comes to finances is our first thought boy I should put this away for retirement? No usually we think what can I spend this windfall on? 

     And so good common sense tells us that we are not often very good at knowing what’s right even in our physical lives. That being said, one of the most prominent ideas among religious people today is I am looking for what feels good. What they should be doing is looking for what is good. 

     Only God is truly good and only he can tell us what is good in relation to our religious belief and practice. God has done that very thing. Paul describes men groping for God in Acts 17 but goes on to point out there is no need for doing so. He tells Timothy that scripture provides all we need to live a life that is good and pleasing to God.

     My friend now looks back on his time selling drugs (which ended in a prison term) as a terrible time in his life. Not because he feels different but because he knows different. He will even explain that until he knew right he had no guilt about his past actions. 

     Will we continue to pursue what feels right? Or will we take our direction from God as given to us in the New Testament and actually do right.

~ Kevin Cleary