Relying on Others Instead of God

In this blog I'm going to post a lot of the papers I write for my class. I would love to get people's opinions on what I write, so that you guys can keep me in check. The question for this paper was: Why is it so easy for us to rely on other people to fulfill our needs instead of God and why should we try to avoid doing this? The book by Parrott that is mentioned in my paper is the book we're reading for the class right now. It is entitled: Relationships: An Open and Honest Guide to Making Bad Relationships Better and Good Relationships Great. It's a really corny title, but the book has brought up a lot of good points on why we do what we do, especially in relationships with other people. So, please check out my answer to the question and see what you think. Please tell me if I'm way off base.


It is so very easy to fall into this temptation of going to people instead of God. Why is this so easy? “At the core of each of us is a compulsion for completion so strong that no single human can consistently fulfill it.” (Parrott, 36). I think that most Christians do believe this statement; it’s just hard for us to put into practice what we truly want to do.

Our sinful nature is constantly drawing our attention away from God and onto things and people that we can idolize. We see a glimpse of this in Romans 1 as Paul describes the way these people are trying to go after relationships with people (mainly those of the same sex) instead of following after God. “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25, NASB). Why shouldn’t we do this? “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper.” (Romans 1:28, NASB). This is a scary thought and may be a little extreme because of what these people did. But, what’s the difference between what they did and what we’re doing? All sins are equal in God’s eyes, so what they did isn’t any different from what we do when we go to others besides God.

God wants to be number one in our lives. He wants us to come to Him for our needs, not others. That’s why the first commandment is what it is. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3, NASB). Anytime we go to someone else for our needs we are putting them before God. We are idolizing them.

God knows all. He has seen everything that has happened, is happening, and is going to happen. Why wouldn’t we go to the One who knows everything and can provide everything? In Isaiah 40, God gives Israel a lot of rhetorical questions, here are a couple of those questions: “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:13-14, NASB). The point is, no one can possibly add to God’s wisdom or advise Him in anyway. It would be wise of us to rely on Someone that knows all and created all to fulfill our needs instead of others. God goes on to say, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.” (Isaiah 40:15, NASB). God tells us that the nations are a drop of water in a bucket compared to Him. Nations are filled with millions, or in the case of China, billions of people. One person isn’t even the size of a speck of dust, how will he/she be able to fulfill our needs. Even though we are all worthless compared to Him, He shows us that He still loves us, cares for us, and provides for us. “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31, NASB). Rely on the Lord. He knows everything about each one of us and is ready and willing to help us with our needs. The Lord tells us “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7, NASB). That is a promise that will never be broken.

My New Goal!

For a while I was receiving Backpacker magazine and wasn't paying for it. In the last magazine I got there was an article about hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's supposed to take a season to hike all the way from Maine to Georgia or vice versa. I love God's creation. Seeing and exploring it shows me a glimpse of how powerful and awesome God truly is. I am honored that He has created this earth and the universe so that I could admire it and see His glory. So, when I finish up my Master's program (Youth Ministry from Indiana Wesleyan) I am going to take a summer to hike the Appalachian Trail. I am going to be done with the degree in December of 2008, so in the summer of 2009, anyone can join me on this adventure. I want and need this time to reflect on what God is doing in my life. In the solitude of nature, I will be able to hear God's call better. There won't be any cell phones, e-mails, blogs, appointments, or classes. It will be me (and anyone who decides to come along), God, and His creation.

As a side note, I called this my new goal, because I have three other goals in my life. They are to get as close to a volcano as possible, to chase a tornado, and to get struck by lightning and live to tell about it. Crazy, I know, but that's the mad scientist in me!

First Post

I've been thinking about creating a blog for a while and I finally have some time to sit down and do it. I want a place to share my thoughts and we all know MySpace and Facebook aren't really the best places to do that. I'm still trying to work out the kinks so it might be a little while before I figure it out. Have a good one my friends!