How to figure out life …

Do you know anyone who was born with a knowledge about life and how to live it well and fully?

I don’t either.

From our earliest days, we start what is often a long struggle to figure out what’s important and what isn’t, what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s fulfilling and what brings regret, what can be achieved in life, what’s worth pursuing and what isn’t.

Such exploration is daunting. So much so we often follow someone else’s lead. Many of us look to our culture since it’s one of (if not the) loudest voices giving direction about how to live.

But the One who actually created us has a lot to say on the subject as well!

In fact, God has been speaking to this issue since He created the first man and woman. And early in scripture, He gives us some simple, clear guidance:

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord,” Leviticus 18:1-5.

Following culture takes us away from God’s will and God’s way. That’s why God told Moses to instruct His people not to imitate the culture around them. Instead, they should look to His instruction for direction, and by doing so they would find life. He has even provided a perfect example that we should follow:

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God,” Ephesians 5:1-2.

Is the Word of God the primary source of the “norms” in your life? Or are you trying to figure out life by following the culture around you? Which is your guiding influence: your culture, or your Creator?

Scotty