Ever since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden, sin has come into the existence in man’s life. Man’s efforts to fill the void and direct his life have failed to meet his deepest desires. Man in his quest to find life has also failed to satisfy the God who created mankind in His own image. God has faithfully revealed the right way to live, but man’s desire is the wrong way to live life. This is why man’s quest to find life has failed. So let us look at the three ways mankind chooses to live. There are three different ways one can choose to live.
1) Asceticism is the effort to please God by strict self-denial. People who practice this self-denial, hope to gain merits with God by depriving themselves of spiritual reasoning. They are denying the rightfulness of what God has created for man’s good—to live holy and right before God. To them this is a foolish way to live. Working each day to live right and holy before God. No, a lifetime of asceticism is what I will not do—knowing that it cannot bring fulfillment or acceptance of God.
2) Undisciplined life is the opposite of asceticism. It allows whatever feels good to happen now. People think they can believe and act as they please without consequences. Such living is a choice to forget God. God does not matter to them. This obviously does not satisfy the soul, because it constantly requires something new and different all the time because simply obeying God is not fulfilling. Observe the recreation of man and the commercialism of this world and you will see that mankind is not satisfied. Something else is needed for their life, and it’s not God.
3) Christian Discipleship is the right way to live, which is the way of God. Jesus taught that Christian discipleship is the way to live. “Then said Jesus to His disciples, if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life will lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake will find it. For what is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what should a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will reward every man according to his works,” Matthew 16:24-27.
First, we must repent of all our sins and trust in Jesus for salvation. Jesus will be our Lord and King. We will live for Him because we love Him, and we need His saving power. We will deny ourselves sinful ways for His glory, not for merits. We will serve Christ, not ourselves, as we exercise the gifts He gives us. God’s way will satisfy our soul both now and in eternity. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” Matthew 6:33.
What life will you live? A life that will please God or a life that will displease mankind.
