We’re all going to die; as Jim Morrison once quipped, “No one here gets out alive!“

Consider then, if you will, that all humans are strictly material beings. If that is true, then the only distinction from one human to the next is height, weight, skin, hair and eye color etc. We are materially all the same! And if the material aspect of life is the only aspect, then the accumulation of material things is the ultimate goal in life. It is characteristic of man to try to distinguish himself from others, and so material possessions accomplish that in a material world.

You’ve seen the bumper sticker; “He who dies with the most toys wins!“ If that were true, then Hollywood stars who have millions of dollars and the adulation from millions of fans should be very happy, and yet many are not. Many in Hollywood get wrapped up in drugs and alcohol. They have multiple marriages and divorces and/or “lovers”. They travel the world, have fast cars, big houses, lush wardrobes and eat at the finest restaurants. And yet, they are unhappy. Why?

The problem is not exclusive to Hollywood; it afflicts the corporate world and even the poor! It affects all aspects of human life. Man longs for something more than a material life and possessions. Man longs for a deeper meaning to life. Why?

For one thing, man sees himself as distinct – beyond the above listed physical characteristics; man sees himself as unique, and yet he does not understand that perspective, although he knows it. Man knows that God is, and that God created him.

God, in the Bible, demonstrates time and time again that He is a “personal” God who pays attention to the most minute of details in His creation. He created man to worship Him and glorify Him. Therefore, the answer to the “why” is because that’s the way God created man – a spiritual being!

Man, in his selfishness, is in rebellion to God, and that is the answer to another “why”. Because man is in rebellion to God, he doesn’t worship and glorify Him, and that leaves man with an empty feeling. That inherent feeling of a need to be in touch with one’s Creator is strong, although often misdirected.

The misdirection leads to false worship of God, trendy religious philosophies, substance abuse, self dissipation, and ultimately depression and anxiety. Then, along comes the psychiatrist who is going to give these people a false, or insufficient answer to their problems.

Of course, the government is always there to misdirect people as well. The Bible set up deacons to help people in need. The government doesn’t want competition from the church, so they have set up welfare, SNAP, low income housing, free or highly subsidized medical care and much more. Who needs to go to church when the government will take care of you?

Not only that, but there’s no accountability with government. You can be an unemployed, adulterous, lying, thieving, alcoholic, and you’ll still get your welfare, SNAP etc. Not so with a Biblically based church; see 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 The government will tell you you’re o.k., and give you what you want so that the accountability factor of the church never has to come into play.

It is noteworthy as to the cost of deaconal funding verses government funding. With the government (these are old statistics), for every $1 received by a welfare recipient, $4 in taxes get collected. On the other hand, with the church, for every $1 collected, the recipient gets about $1.25 in benefits received, because there is volunteer work for which there is no cost. Additionally, church charity comes with outstanding love and accountability. With welfare, comes indifference, bureaucracy, unaccountability and disappointment.

Now, as you face your mortality, does it sound better to be in good with government, or God? God has provided a Savior in Jesus Christ for eternity. Government has provided a lie as a false savior that is merely temporal, and they provide schools to get you oriented to their way of thinking. Government doesn’t call for repentance, but God does. Who has more authority in your life? Where do you want to spend eternity?

Pensiamento Peligroso