Daily Journal: 17 August

Our Desire for Autonomy

I asked God one day, as most of us do at some point, why is suffering part of the human condition? Why is suffering the thing we have to grow through?

We suffer because of our desire for autonomy from God

Autonomy is not a construct of God's. It comes from the desire we have to rule ourselves and construct our own identity separate to Him. God created us to be in union with Him, just as the Son and the Holy Spirit are in union with Him. God created us to be dependent on Him. But we don't like dependency. We prefer autonomy.

Autonomy has its roots in separateness

When we seek separateness from God, we are seeking rebellion towards God's Kingdom way.

Matthew 6:33-34 (NCV)

Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We are called to seek first His Kingdom. A kingdom is not a democracy but usually we seek first our way.

As long as we fight for our autonomy as a Christian we are fighting for separateness from God

Where does this desire for separateness come from if we profess to love God?

Isaiah 59:2 (ICB)

It is your evil that has separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to turn away from you. And then he does not hear you.

Sin is a campaign for autonomy

Autonomy is a desire after self first. Jesus was selfless and He taught us to be like Him; to love others and to love God above all else. Yet, we struggle with relinquishing our autonomy to God. In holding on to our autonomy, we are not trusting in Him, nor loving or worshipping Him.

Autonomy is our enemy as a Christ follower

Romans 6:6 (NCV)

We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin.

How can we have autonomy and worship God at the same time? Our life ends up being a toss-up between two enslavements – enslavement to sin or enslavement to Christ. Where does each one take us? One is bad. One is good. One is prison. One is freedom.

Romans 6:16 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Galatians 2:20 (NCV)

I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me.

When we hear these messages about dying to self, we tend to think about loss and sacrifice.

We need to properly remember that when we die to self, we die to chaos and disorder. That's something to celebrate!

Those things that look nice and exciting are often the things that destroy us. Don't we want to turn our backs on what is ugly and self-destructive? We forget that we'll be exchanging beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that we would become a strong planting of the Lord (Isaiah 61:3).

Luke 9:23-24 (GWT)

He said to all of them, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them.

To pick up our cross sounds like the ultimate sacrifice. But think about what we're gaining, just as Jesus did (Hebrews 12:2).

Romans 12:1b-2 (GNT)

This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.