Have you ever customized something? I'm sure you have. You probably have and don't even realize it. Think about it, to customize something means to take it and make it unique or to be what you like or want it to be. How about your house, or your room if you don't have a house, your clothing style or your car or truck? What about getting a tattoo? That's an extreme form of personal customization.
As we have moved into our new house, I now have my own office room. I can decorate it anyway I want to. I already have a few things in place. These are things that I like and that inspire me in writing and ministry. I used to watch the show Orange County Choppers. They custom built choppers with specific themes.
Did you know that God gave us the power to customize the earth? In a way, so to speak. In Genesis 1: 26-28 God gave Adam dominion and told him to subdue the earth. I know that is more of authority than customizing, but in a way Adam could customize the planet.
Almost anything and everything on this earth both man made and natural can be changed and customized to look and be whatever anyone wants it to be.
The crazy thing is that in our carnality and arrogance, we try to customize the one who customized us, God. People everywhere, everyday, try to customize God to fit their image and their likeness instead of conforming to fit and be in His image and likeness the way He intended and purposed.
What? No way. Yep, everyday. You see, as man has read and interpreted scripture over the years, Satan has done what he has done since the garden of Eden. Twisted the word of God in peoples minds. Satan started out with Eve saying "Hath God said ?", putting a question in Eve's mind about God's commands.
Hath God said you shouldn't look at that? Hath God said you shouldn't act that way? Hath God said they don't deserve it? Hath God said you should do this or do that even if it contradicts anything else God has already said? Hath God said you should look out for you and only you? I could go on and on.
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23
I don't think most of us fully grasp the simplicity of that scripture. I don't think most of us want to grasp the simplicity of that scripture. Jesus said if we are to follow him then we have to deny ourselves. Deny what we want. Deny our self love, pride, and wants.
Some people miss the deception that happens. Does God want us to be happy? Yes. Does God want us prosper? Yes. Does God want me to excel in all that I do? Yes.
Being a minister and a teacher, one thing that (just being honest) infuriates me with people is when they try to use God or His word to justify to themselves and to others, their own selfish wants. They say things like " God told me to do this " or they find a scripture they think justifies it when they no more heard God or read the word in it's truth than a man sitting on the moon eating cheese.
Now, don't get me wrong. I know people hear God and receive direction from Him and even are given scriptures from Him as confirmation to them of what He is directing them to do. However, there are those that it doesn't take a lot of spiritual sense to know they are fooling themselves and trying to fool you.
One thing I think could even be more wrong is when someone counsels another person based on their experiences which is often bad. They have not only customized their lives but that of someone else's.
My whole point is this. Become the man or woman that God intends for you to be by following Him. By listening to His voice. By reading the Word and discerning what it is saying to you. By being man enough and woman enough to admit when you aren't sure of or don't know the answer and be willing to seek Godly counsel. I may interject that just because a person is/claims to be a Christian doesn't mean they have Godly counsel.
When we grow up and learn how to eat spiritual meat along with drinking our spiritual milk and get self out of the way of what God wants to do with us and in us and allow Him to customize us then we will not make the mistake of trying to make Him our Custom Creator.
In Christ,
Kevin
