Where Your Way Starts

Numbers 15:40

That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

There was a man that Israel caught gathering sticks on the sabbath day. Gathering sticks on this day was no different than God’s people not going to church because of entertainment, a job, or just doing your own hobbies instead of being in church where you are supposed to be. God got weary of Israel constantly straying from Him to do their own thing. Because of this, He devised a plan to help Israel not to forget Him in all that they do, and His plan was for every person to put a ribband of blue on edge of their clothing so that every time they looked at it, they would be reminded that they belonged to God.

Many people have made the same mistake with church attendance that Israel made with the Sabbath. Many people have gotten caught up with putting church aside for their own ways. The verse above shows us the pattern that leads to a person eventually leaving the Christian walk for their own way. Let me show you this pattern.

The end of this pattern is seen in verse 39 where it says that you seek after your own heart and your own eyes. This is nothing more than doing what you want to do and what you feel is right. This is simply serving God on your own terms. It does not matter how you try to spiritualize what you are doing; we will never be successful serving God on our own terms. God demands that you serve Him on His terms. Serving God on any terms but His is leaving God to do your own thing. You cannot serve God on your terms because your terms are wrapped up in selfishness.

Now, how does a person get to serving God on their own terms? They forgot God’s blessings, stopped doing His commandments, and stopped being holy to God. The key to this whole pattern is that they stopped making God first in their life. You must go backward in this verse to see how it all starts. When God stops being first in your life, you will stop living a holy life, or a life set apart only for God. When you stop living a holy life for God, you will stop doing His commandments. When you stop doing God’s commandments, you will forget all that God has done for you and what He commands you to do. When you forget God, you will start seeking your own heart and following what your eyes tell you to do. The end of doing what you want and following what your eyes want always leads to death. Proverbs 16:25 reminds us of this when it says, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

My friend, it all starts when you stop making God the focal point of your life. God must be the hub that you wrap your life around. Matthew 6:33 commands and reminds us, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. With everything you do in life, you must ask yourself if it would push God aside from the center of your life. In other words, keep God on the throne of your life, and you will never get to the point where you live for your heart and your eyes. It does not matter if what you want in your heart is not what we would consider bad; it is bad if it is not what God wants for you.

Let me ask: do you wrap your life around God or do you plan God into your life? God doesn't want to be planned into your life; He wants to be your life. Keep God as the focus of your life, and you will never get to the point where you drop out of church to do your own thing.