Life is full of intellectual pitfalls and what I’ll call “relational potholes.” Throughout the ages, mankind has been working together and fighting against one another in search of wildly varying ideas of success. One person’s idea of success might include the helping of many others while another person’s idea is simply to find personal success in a single life event. Some people have small goals, others have big goals and we don’t always find that goals are the driving force behind mankind’s desires for fame and fortune, but the interpersonal activities of successful people have always been first to include as many people as possible.
One way certain people have found to gain followers is to trace patterns of behavior and extrapolate these concepts onto people groups and take advantage of the positions of authority possessing such knowledge provides. You might have heard something to the effect of, “If that got into the wrong hands …” Well, a lot of the behaviors of mankind are being tracked and patterns are constantly being developed into what we might call ‘templates.’ These templates are then used in the marketing field so companies can better sell you their products based on how we respond to certain stimuli. Ideas such as ‘How does a person in this region of the world react to X versus a person in this part of the world?’ are the driving force behind the field of psychology. (Note: I’m not saying the field of psychology is good or bad, but I am going to make a point here, so please bear with me.)
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I have studied psychology for about half my life. I love observing people “in their natural habitat.” However, just as certainly we cannot feel another person’s pain without empathy, we cannot understand why somebody chooses one option over another without all the facts, emotions, and inner- and outer forces placed on him or her. One person might be a moralist while another might be a hedonist and those intellectual environments alone are going to steer both people into wildly disparate directions even in a short period of time. So, where would we start in the study of the human soul? (Interestingly, the word, ‘psychology’ is rooted in the Greek language - as is many disciplinary English words. ‘Psyche’ means ‘the soul’ and ‘ology’ means ‘the study of’)
We would probably begin with what is called, “the scientific method,” and that is first to develop a theory based on perceivable knowledge and experience then systematically gather pertinent information on how the forces that be impress upon and how the individuals in the study respond to the varying stimuli within a reasonably natural environment. (Note: So, if something works in a lab, it won’t necessarily work in the real world.)
If a scientist genuinely seeks the truth, then all data, whether or not can be explained, must be considered in the conclusion of the matter. One intellectual pitfall is making assumptions about the history of a field of study based on what exists today. There is absolutely no way for a person in the 21st century to know what life was like for somebody living in the 3rd century unless somebody from then explained it. There may be patterns of behavior, but then we must consider the effects of the current technology on the lives and minds of the people of the time versus the development of technologies within the last 50 years and how mankind has changed in interpersonal relations since the advent of, say, social media.
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It used to be “All you need is love.” It’s clear from what we are witnessing in recent years, that social media has had a profound effect on the psyche of all mankind. Just as the advent of the sword brought about a LOT of bloodshed, social media has destroyed many lives. Why? You guessed it. Some people find it a type of success to tear down others so as to feed their vain imagination. It is a type of spiritual murder of one’s fellow man, woman, or child and it’s the heart behind communism — to take from those who earned and give to those who have not earned so as to balance an imaginary set of scales (that are usually tipped in one way or another anyway).
We are assured of this one, simple, invincible fact: our decisions determine our lives. Like the rudder on a boat, our decisions determine our “destiny.” We tend to think we are always trying to do our best, but are we really? There are people who have not for the simple reason that they do not. I’m not just talking about money, I’m talking about a healthy mind, healthy relationships with other people, and, most importantly, a healthy relationship with our God.
“1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
James, a half-brother of Jesus, nails the human struggle for significance on the head. The sinful life, simply put, is a person’s struggle for significance within a world full of people seeking significance. Lucifer (aka Satan, the devil) is the father of lies and seeks to deceive us all so we do not get what is rightfully ours. He lost what is his (eternal life and a glorious position in Heaven) and doesn’t want us to have it. We lost ours and Jesus made the way to regain what was lost because we had the same thing and lost it in the rebellion in Heaven. Why do you think we’re here and not there? This life is our Second Chance to get right with God and return to our former place of glory. (Hallelujah!)
What James is saying is like a punch in the gut. The truth can have that effect. The same effect that light has on roaches or a person coming out of a cave. The devil is always up to mind tricks and seeks to deceive us so we remain on his side and follow his commands and not God’s.
How would God bless us if we are not on His side? Interestingly enough, we find this:
“He causes his sun to shine on evil people and good people. He sends rain on those who do right and those who don’t.”
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It’s apparent to me that most people think everything they need is outside of the, and they need to go and acquire it. However, God tells us, in His Word, that He is ‘giving us everything we need for life and godliness.’ That means instead of thinking everything is outside of you needing to be brought in, think of everything that is inside you that needs to be brought out.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Imagine being God for a moment. That means you’re the one who sustains all life and for people to have a Second Chance, you would need to give them the very air they breathe, the Earth they live on, and the abilities to gain resources and intelligence for themselves and others so they have at least the opportunity to arrive at the point of salvation. That means, in everything you can’t just play favorites and eliminate your enemies whenever you so choose or you would be unrighteous.
In humanity’s very limited understanding of the spirit world, psychology might tell us some things that can offer us glimpses into the hows and whys of humanity’s foibles and idiosyncrasies, but it is always the Word of God that reveals the heart of mankind and why we are here and what God expects from us.
God knows everything and why. He has the eagle’s eye view of every single thing that has ever and will ever happen in every single person’s life and mind. Let’s agree to consult our God and not mankind’s thoughts about what’s important and not important. Amen?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You today in search of answers as to why and how and what. My life has been up, down, and all around and I need to find stable footing. Please help me find that in You today. I choose to seek Your truth, Your Son, Jesus, to be my guide.
Help me to be the person You made me to be and so I can flood the Earth with the goodness You have already placed in me. Let me shine brightly the love of Jesus and be a shining beacon to guide the lost to You. Please let Your Kingdom come and Your will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven starting right now in my life and in the lives of all humanity - because we sure need You!
In Jesus’ holy name, amen.
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