In the absence of God…

“11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) (Holman Christian Standard) Bible)
It is not in the nature of man to pursue God! This statement defines the total depravity of the human condition. However, Even though man does not pursue God, he does pursue things trying to fill the void that is left by the absence of God. Solomon addressed that point in the Book of Ecclesiastes, saying that such pursuits were as “dust in the wind!”
Because man will not, of his own volition, pursue God, God pursues man! Man is the only thing in all of creation that is formed in the image of God. God gave man life by the breath of His mouth (ref. Genesis 2:7) God did all of this because He desired to continue to have an intimate relationship with man, just as He did in the Garden of Eden!
In the absence of God, man will go to great lengths to give their lives meaning! There is nothing that they won’t pursue or indulge to fulfil that purpose! A look through history will show you the depths of depravity that man will sink to! Every evil thing that has ever been done is not from God! They are instead, from the lusts of the worldly man! “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16 NIV)
What is the makeup of these “lusts”?
Lusts of the Flesh:
• Eating addictions: Obesity due to overeating.
• Sexual addictions: There is no end to the depravity sexual addiction! It has many forms from simple sex to pedophilia! There are many multi-billion dollar industries that pander to this addiction!
• Drug addictions: There seems to be no end to the substances that people will try, just to get a “higher high” or a bigger buzz! The illicit drug trade makes billions of dollars, catering to the addicts desire for a fix! They target children so that they will become the next generation of addicts!
• Alcohol addiction: This lust is one of the oldest in the world! From the first fermented wines, man has clamored after the consumption of alcohol; resulting in the destruction of marriages, families, businesses and people!
• Fitness addictions: This addiction is one that sucks in so many people! They desire to have the perfect body, the largest muscle mass, the skinniest figure or any one of many different reasons for going to great lengths to look their best; in their own eyes! These addicts will use anything that will add another inch of muscle, take off another inch on the waist or increase their performance by whatever unit they happen to be using to measure performance.
Lust of the eyes: This stems from the “I want that!” mentality of so many people! The following lust fall into this category!
• Greed: People who are greedy, will never be able to satisfy their lust for more, whether it is money, possessions, power or recognition. There is nothing they will not do to achieve satisfaction. There is also nothing they can do be satisfied!
• Stinginess: This is a lust that drives people to hold onto what is theirs! Generosity is not in their vocabulary!
• Selfishness: Much like stinginess but different in that this lust causes people to refuse to let someone use what they have, even something as simple as a cup of sugar!
• Envy: Envy is a driving force that causes people to covet that which someone else has! It to, can never be satisfied!
• Laziness: This lust could be one of the worst of all! It stems from a mindset that says “The world owes me!” These people are slothful, they have the ability to work, but choose not to! They prefer instead to live off of the backs of other people! They depend on the government for whatever handout they can get!
Pride of Life: This lust stems from pride, not humble pride, but a pride that is loud and arrogant! These people are always drawing attention to themselves or their achievements!
• Craving of Attention: People with this lust thrive on attention! The more they get, the more they want!
• Craving for Position: These people will do anything to anyone, in order to move up in position! For them, it is all about “Looking good!”
• Craving for Authority: These people are much like those who crave position, but they are driven by the power that comes from a higher position!
• Craving for Identity: These people seek identification through attention, position and authority! They will never be satisfied with just one, for them, it is the “Hat trick” or nothing!
• Craving for attention! These people are the saddest of all the prides because they feel alone, depressed and unappreciated! They will do anything to get a thank you or a hug! They often do not recognize true appreciation when it is offered because they do not comprehend what it is! They often look for motives in the words of others, causing them to doubt the sincerity of what is offered!
That is what a person looks like in the absence of God from their life! These are the things that man pursues in order to fill that God shaped void in his heart! As Solomon wrote “They are as dust in the wind!”
As John wrote; “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16 NIV) God desires to give us nothing but His best for us! He desires to reward us and to make us one of His children and heirs! He wants us to be recognized for what we have done, not as the world does but as only He can!
To accomplish that purpose, He sent His own son, Jesus; to be an atoning sacrifice for each of our sinful lusts! His sacrifice, resulted in the forgiveness of our sins and our total and complete redemption by God! If we call on the name of Jesus, we will be saved! Paul wrote those words in the book of Romans “11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” “12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13) God promises us that for those who call upon His son’s name, there will be no shame, but rather, there will be forgiveness, rest and salvation!
Why would anyone want to spend their lives in a vain pursuit of something that can never be attained, when all that we are pursuing is available to us in the Son of God!
I urge you, if you have not or are not sure if you have or not, please; call on the name of Jesus! Talk with Him in your heart! Let Him minister to you! Ask Him to be your Lord and your redeemer! Ask Him Today!
In Christ,
John