God's Way and Man's Way

Proverbs 14:11-12
Isaiah 55:8
John 14:6 
Romans 6:23
When we look around we see horizontally. From where we are, we see things from one direction, from one perspective. Above, God in His perspective - He sees everything. He sees the beginning and the end; He sees the end from the beginning.

He saw you from the time you were conceived in your mother’s womb until the end of your life, and the same for my life. The only thing we can see is right now; what’s around us right now.

It’s just like standing on the sidelines. Since this is football country, think of how you might stand on the sideline with the team and you are watching the game. From there you can only see so much. But for God it’s just like He is looking down and He can see the whole field. Sometimes if you stand on the sideline or sit on the sideline you can’t see the other side of the field as the play takes place. But God is able to see the whole picture, how it all develops and how it turns out.

Isaiah 55:8  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts…. It shall accomplish that which I please and it shall profit in the things wherefore I sent it."

When we talk about God’s way and man’s way we know that our thoughts are not His thoughts. Our ways are not His ways. We’re talking about God’s purpose, God’s intent, God’s direction - God’s eternal purpose. These things a human mind cannot fully comprehend.

In this day and time we have technology and all kinds of smart devices and computers. If we had the ability scientists would be able to predict the very time that this world will come to an end. They can look back and find fossils and bones and say this is a million years old. But they cannot go into the future and say “Well, God is going to do this in the year 2025.” They always talk about the earthquakes in California; they are always predicting these kind of things. They predict, but they do not know. With all of our technology and information, we still do not KNOW.  But God knows – from His perspective, He knows ALL.

So who has the better way? God who sees and knows all things, or man?
God's Way or Man's Way?

A Better Way
My thoughts and my ways will determine my future. Man’s way will evidently perish.  If I have the wrong approach to salvation, if I choose the wrong way, I will not be saved.  If I have the wrong perspective, if I depend on my knowledge instead of the word of God, I may have the wrong thinking, and perish because of it.  If my way of thinking is all I depend on, all I have faith in, eventually I’m going to perish.  But it tells us in this latter part of that verse (Proverbs 14:12) that the tabernacle of the upright of the house of God shall flourish.

One way leads to life and one leads to death.  If I try to minister and share Christ with my own philosophy it will lead to death.  If I minister the Word of God and the Word of God is received that’s going to bring life.  You’re going to receive life from what? From the Word of God.

God invites us to a new and better way. The Old Testament talks about giving up sacrifices: pigeons, doves, sheep, and oxen.  But now we don’t have to do that - God gave us a better sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice. And that sacrifice was Jesus, our Christ.
Man adopted ritual sacrifice as a “way” to God, but in the end rituals (religion without relationship) became another “way” to death.  God taught us the principle of sacrifice, but He gave us the Way.  Ultimately, God’s way – Jesus Christ – is the ONLY way.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life….. You are going to have to go by Jesus (on your way to heaven or hell). Going to Muhammad, going to Buddha, going to Hare Krishna is not going to get you there. You’ve got to go by Jesus.

God’s way – Jesus – is a powerful way.  We see a glimpse of it now in the world’s reaction to the name of Jesus.  He always gets a reaction.  Some love him, some hate him. If I were to go to the middle of the mall and shout “Jesus!!” – I'm sure I would get a reaction! Some might think I was crazy, some might shout “Jesus!” back at me, someone might even tell me to be quiet, but I would definitely get a reaction.  If I shouted “Buddha!” or some other name, I would get reaction, but not like the response I would get to the name of Jesus.

One day, we will see the whole world respond with worship and surrender to the name of Jesus. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. 
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God’s Way or man’s way – you choose.  Choose wisely, choose Christ.