The "good life" is defined as one in which we individually decide what is right for us. External authority is rejected. Sex is interchangeable with love. And passions have to be fulfilled. This is the "good" life. And I've lived it. But this mindset is nothing new.
The final sentence of Judges pretty much sums it up, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (21:25) Reading this Old Testament book over the past few days has not easily lifted my spirit. God's own people were not seeking Him. They were doing what they each wanted. And the result was a chaotic system of individualism with mention of extreme vile behavior. Wow. Not smiling. It is tough to swallow some of God's allowances. But isn't that the state of our own world?
When passages are tough--when our own lives are tough--the only place of true comfort and wisdom arises by standing firm on the character of God. Trying to explain His character through the crazy circumstances that surround us will only lead to an erroneous definition. But if we begin with His Word--what He has declared and proven about Himself--peace can reign in spite of what we see with our physical eyes.
So as we enter into a new year--a fresh start--I'll pose to you what I am posing to myself: What fills your mind--the ways of this confused world or the ways of the God who designed you? The choice is yours. The choice is mine.
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