Daily Devotional for Saturday February 26, 2011

Our Way Doesn't Work, God's Way Does

(Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 5:29; 1 Kings 3:14; Revelation 22:14)

One of the things I say so often in the Daily Devotional and on my television program is that our way doesn't work, God's way does. I know this may sound very basic, but the reality is, it is a very profound truth that is relevant to the sinner and the saint alike. It is a truth that needs to be reinforced often, because even someone that has been walking with the Lord for many years, someone who is spiritually mature, can fall into the trap of "doing it my way" and have to deal with the consequences of not following God's way.

Every day we receive over 40,000 prayer requests at Liveprayer. I take 50-60 "live" phone calls on my television program during the course of a week. I see the consequences of those who have decided to live life "their way" instead of "God's way" daily. Let me say this again so hopefully you will never forget it, "YOUR WAY DOESN'T WORK AND IS NOT EVER GOING TO WORK. GOD'S WAY WORKS AND WILL ALWAYS WORK."

There are probably not many people on the planet today as qualified to make that statement as I am, due to the work God has called me to do. Every single day we are dealing with tens of thousands of real lives struggling with every kind of problem you can imagine, and I assure you, many you would never imagine. No doubt, some of these people are simply those who have been caught in the ripple effect of the sins of others. However, the vast majority are people whose lives are in trouble because they were living in rebellion to God.

I hear all the time that the Bible is simply a book of don'ts. Don't do this, don't do that. I hear people complaining that God wants to take all the fun out of life. Actually, the exact opposite is true. God warns us in His Word, tells us how to live in His Word, not to take the fun out of life, but to INSURE you have fun in life.

I have yet to see someone having fun who is going through a divorce because they married someone who was not a Christian. I have yet to see someone having fun who is in bondage to drugs or alcohol. I don't see young men and women having fun when they find out they have a lifetime STD, or are going to be parents and aren't even 18 years old. I have yet to see someone having fun as they refuse to forgive someone that has wronged them and the bitterness begins to eat away at their life.

No my friend, the warnings in God's Word, the "don'ts" in God's Word are not to stop you from having fun in life, they are there to INSURE you have fun in life.

I love you and care about you so much. This may be a very simple word for you today, but there are few things that I can tell you that will have as much impact on your day to day life. YOUR WAY DOESN'T WORK, GOD'S WAY DOES. God wants you to know the peace, the joy, the abundance this life can offer regardless of the trials and tribulations that we all face simply by living in this sinful and evil world. When we ignore God's way and do it our way, we end up bringing unnecessary pain and heartache into our life and miss that peace, that joy, and that abundance.

I will be praying for you today. Praying that today you take a moment to do an inventory of your life. Are you living your life your way or God's way? That is why the Bible is such an important part of our daily lives. God's Word is our final authority in all matters. If we will simply read the instruction manual, and more importantly follow it, it is amazing how simple life becomes. WE cause most of the drama we face in our life due to being ignorant of God's Word or by simply choosing to ignore it.

My desire, more importantly God's desire, is for you to live your life in peace, with the joy of the Lord, and enjoy this journey called life. Let me leave you with this personal testimony. After coming to know Christ as my Savior as a young man, living my life for him during my teen years with the expectation of serving God with my life, at the age of 20 I decided I wanted to live life my way.

For the next 12 years I did just that. I had much worldly success during those 12 years, but never had any real peace or joy in my life. It was only after my world came crashing down and I finally gave God the one and only thing He ever wanted from me, my life, completely surrendered to Him, did life make sense again. Nobody tried as hard as I did to live life "my way" and make it work. I learned the hard way, MY WAY DIDN'T WORK, GOD'S WAY DID!

My theme song during those years of rebellion was Frank Sinatra's hit My Way. As wonderful as that song may be, the message of that song is a lie from the pits of hell! The fact is, if you replace "my" with "God," it is now a 100% accurate message. Let me leave you today with this one simple truth that I pray you will never forget, YOUR WAY DOESN'T WORK, GOD'S WAY DOES!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller