80 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
80 lines
4.6 KiB
Plaintext
|
7 Ways to Avoid God.
|
|||
|
|
--------------------
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
I think of myself as an average person. <20>I don't hate God. As far as I know
|
|||
|
|
He has done me no harm. But I do find it difficult to avoid God.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
I am not an atheist. I am an agnostic. If there is a God I don't want to
|
|||
|
|
know Him. <20>I <20>prefer to live my own life. <20>The last thing I want is for God
|
|||
|
|
to get in my way. So I have set out a personal seven-point plan to<74>avoid Him.
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>With Bibles on display in bookstores, <20>and churches <20>on almost every street
|
|||
|
|
corner, my task has not been easy. <20>But here is my procedure:
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP ONE: <20>I sleep Sunday mornings. <09>I <20>personally don't find "sleeping in"
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>that easy. <20>I have the bad habit of waking early, <20>even on Sunday. But <20>I
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>have<EFBFBD>solved the problem. <20>I<EFBFBD>told my doctor <20>I was<61>having<6E>a difficult time
|
|||
|
|
sleeping and he gave me some<6D>pills.<2E><>About midnight on Saturday <20>I <20>swallow
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>two pills and am good until eleven o'clock<63>Sunday morning, which conveniently
|
|||
|
|
is too late to go to church.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP TWO: <20><>As a traveling man I keep hotel and motel dresser<65>drawers
|
|||
|
|
closed. <20>In many hotels and motels today a Bible will jump out at you if you
|
|||
|
|
open a drawer. I<>enter my room,<2C>hang up my suitbag and leave my other things
|
|||
|
|
in my open suitcase. <20>I<EFBFBD>carry an off-color paperback with me<6D>so if there is
|
|||
|
|
nothing to do in town at least <20>I<EFBFBD>can read myself to sleep. <20>By the way, <20>I
|
|||
|
|
don't accept literature from strangers. <20>When offered literature I politely
|
|||
|
|
tell people I am too busy to read it.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP THREE: <20>I<EFBFBD>carefully choose my radio stations. <20>Many cities<65>carry
|
|||
|
|
twenty-four-hour <20>religious stations. <20>Some of their music is good but you
|
|||
|
|
must be wary because they may be skillfully concealing a sharp hook. Right
|
|||
|
|
while enjoying a fine recording, <20>some preacher breaks in to tell you that you
|
|||
|
|
are a sinner and need God. I am on to their tricks, so now I dial a station
|
|||
|
|
that is really rocking and rolling and feel<65>reasonably safe.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP <20>FOUR: <20>I <20>avoid Christian businessmen. <20>In fact,<2C>I<EFBFBD>am a<>church
|
|||
|
|
member. <20>I<EFBFBD>seldom attend,<2C>but my membership has given me<6D>many<6E>good
|
|||
|
|
business<EFBFBD>contacts.<2E><>But one must be careful. <20>I<EFBFBD>have<76>discovered a
|
|||
|
|
fanatical<EFBFBD>brand of businessmen who would rather talk to you about<75>God then
|
|||
|
|
about gold. <20>I don't question their sincerity, <20>but it takes money to feed a
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>family, <20>and that is my first concern. <20>When a<>Christian businessman invites
|
|||
|
|
me to church or for Bible study, I<>usually back cut with, "I have a splitting
|
|||
|
|
headache" (that sounds better than a hangover) "and just can't make it
|
|||
|
|
tonight."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP FIVE: <20>I create my own gods. I have a list of things I<>would like to
|
|||
|
|
do but never have time to get done. So Sunday I play around with the most
|
|||
|
|
attractive items on my list. I have come to feel that that is what Sunday <20>is
|
|||
|
|
for. <20>Every person should have a hobby and I use Sundays<79>to spend time on my
|
|||
|
|
hobbies and to do my thing.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP SIX: I see to it that I am "master of my fate." It is my privilege to
|
|||
|
|
choose to believe in God or to choose not to believe. <20>I<EFBFBD>accept the old Roman
|
|||
|
|
idea<EFBFBD>that death ends everything. <20>This<69>makes the<68>whole business of escaping
|
|||
|
|
God a lot easier. <20>It allows one to sing with <20>the freedom of a bird, "Eat,
|
|||
|
|
drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
STEP SEVEN: I can always kill myself. This I call my desperate step. I
|
|||
|
|
don't really advocate it and frankly, <20>I<EFBFBD>am chicken. <20>But<75>I know it happens
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>many times a day. <20>Self-destruction is<69>a<EFBFBD>way<61>of<6F>escape. However, it leaves
|
|||
|
|
me a little cold. Questions pop into my mind. Is it a copout from life? <20>Is
|
|||
|
|
it really escape? <20>Does one avoid God in this way or is death the solemn usher
|
|||
|
|
that leads me into the presence of God?
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Now that I have answered questions on what I can do to avoid God I <20>find
|
|||
|
|
myself faced with an even greater question. If there is a Supreme Being who
|
|||
|
|
loves me, why should I try to avoid Him? Is my attempt to hide from God
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>inconceivable conceit? <20>Would I not be wiser and happier to accept His <20>love?
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>Is it not the fool who says in his heart "There is no God?" Why <20>run from God?
|
|||
|
|
<EFBFBD>His invitation is pretty inviting for a man who <20>is tired of running: "Come
|
|||
|
|
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"
|
|||
|
|
(Matthew 11:28)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
After <20>running for so long I gave God my worries and accepted His <20>rest. I
|
|||
|
|
found it so easy. <20>I just said, "Jesus, <20>You please take my sin and I will
|
|||
|
|
take Your salvation." <20>God and I made the trade and I am no longer running, I
|
|||
|
|
am resting in His salvation. I have thrown my list away. If you will do what
|
|||
|
|
I did, you won't need your list either. <20>"And it shall come to pass, that
|
|||
|
|
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|