You know, there is a reason that our carnal, selfish, purely pleasurable "self" is called the "Natural Man." It does seem almost "natural" to have these urges, to enjoy social and other activities, and think that, "Well, this is just me, it's who I am" and then protest when someone, or religion, or even God, Himself, asks you to deny this natural man, this "who you are" and trade it for something of infinitely greater worth, pleasure, and joy.
So, should we try to be someone we're not? Should we deny the way we are, when we are (or think we are) happy this way? YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!!
This struggle to deny the Natural Man is why we are here, it is our test.
"But," you say, "I can't imagine God keeping me out of heaven because I drink a glass of wine with dinner or go out after work with the guys for a beer," and, you know, you're probably right--having a drink won't keep you out of Heaven but disobedience will. Not that anyone is perfect--we all have faults and sins we need to work on, but we all need to ask ourselves (and pay close attention to the answer) if we are trying. We have all fallen short of the Kingdom of God, and we all need the atonement to "bridge the gap" to perfection, but to not even try because the Natural Man feels so good and feels like "who you are" just flies in the face of reason.
Never confuse the Natural Man with who you are. You are a son or daughter of God; you are deity passing through mortality to prove to God that you can deny the flesh (so to speak) and choose--no matter how hard it is--to be better, to rise above the base desires and pleasures of the flesh and trade what might make you feel good right now for what will bring you utter joy and happiness for eternities to come.
And this is...the gospel according to Guy
No comments:
Post a Comment