Please yourself?

On my daily readings this past few weeks through Judges one phrase kept coming up and it also closes the book.

At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. Jud 21 v 25

Nowadays I catch myself saying things to my kids that my mum very often said to me. After trying to tell me something was not going to be good for me. Me arguing that it was OK. Finally in frustration she would say: "OK go on then just please yourself."

That's what these guys were doing. It wasn't God's plan to give them a king. God was to be their king and he wanted people to do what was right before him. There can be a huge difference between the two. I have a way of trying to tell myself that its OK to do things because somehow I have squared it in my mind. It is amazing the power that the heart has in making up our minds.

When we start doing as we see fit rather than as God sees fit it spells trouble.

• That lady at work that you are connecting too because things are not great at home.
• That porn you are downloading because well your wife doesn't seem interested.
• That guy you are dating that doesn't know God because you can't find a guy in church.
• That boss you are ripping up with your work colleagues because he is just not fair.
• That insurance claim you made up because you needed more money and anyway they can afford it.
• The sick day you threw when you were not really sick but wanted a day off.
• That time you hit your wife. Well she was unreasonable, she deserved it.

All these and more are people doing as they see fit. We need to stop, quit playing games and start doing what God sees fit. Not always easy but that path leads to a far better place than pleasing ourselves.