Skip to main content

The Lesson of The Lab Rat

Have you ever seen a laboratory rat learn to navigate a maze in order to get to the cheese at the other end? It is a fascinating thing to watch. In an effort to teach the rat to take the correct path the scientist will rig the maze with wires to give the rat electrical shocks if they go the wrong way. Eventually the rat learns that it is better to take the path directly to the cheese and avoid the uncomfortable shocks. It is amazing when a rat learns this lesson, but it should not be amazing when a human learns the same lesson.

Humans often do learn through trial and error. Eventually the pain of running contrary to laws and social norms will catch up with them and they will concede to a life of obedience. Sadly, many Christians will see this change in the life of a loved one and label it “getting right with the Lord.” It is not. It is a learned conformity that still seeks to please self, just by taking a different path than previously attempted.

It is very possible to adjust your life to the standards of society and never enter into a relationship with Jesus that produces salvation. You can hold down a job, maintain a healthy marriage, stay out of jail and have children that love and respect you – and die and go to hell. Atheists have done this for centuries.

So how do we know when the change is a change brought on by the will of God at the new birth? The answer is love. The person that has been born again has a love for God, his Word, and his church. To be sure, this person will serve gladly in their home, on the job, and in society, just as the unbeliever. But an inner compulsion to love God above all things is the difference. Love for God is the first fruit of the Spirit. It is the key to discerning between saints and lab rats.

Give Us Eyes To See What You Have Done, Oh Lord! Amen!
Pastor Mitch

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Generation of Mark 13:30

At the beginning of Mark chapter thirteen Jesus is leaving the temple area and one of his disciples points out the grandure of the temple buildings. Jesus' remark to that disciple concerns the fact that these buildings will one day be torn down. The disciples question Him further as to the times of these events, and so begins an extended teaching from Jesus on the end times.As Jesus' remarks are drawing to a close, He makes this comment in Mark 13:30: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (NASB) So the reader is left to wonder the meaning of this statement. Either our understanding of generation is wrong, or we are understanding what Jesus meant by "these things" wrong. I think there are at least two solutions. The word for generation (genea: Greek) could mean, as some side column reference Bibles note, "the human race". This is possible, since the events have not all happened and the human race...
15 comments
Read more

Children, Forgive Your Parents

Originally written on August 7, 2005 I remember the first time my father spoke to me as an adult. I was thirty. I had always looked up to my dad because he has many characteristics that are larger than life. Our relationship had always been that of a father and child. It did not change as I became a teenager and as I entered adulthood this unchanging relationship was the cause of much strain. So I was caught off guard as my dad began to speak to me over lunch one day at Chik-fil-a. As he spoke to me he began to confess the things that he had done wrong in raising my brother and me. It was a remarkable moment. Mainly because I noticed very few of his mistakes. He always worked to provide for us, loved my mother with all his heart, gave us plenty of hugs and kisses, and told us that he loved us everyday. So why would he admit to making mistakes in raising his children? After all, he had done a pretty exceptional job. The truth of the matter is that no matter how good we do as parents and...
1 comment
Read more

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Originally written on 12-18-2005 On December 9th Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media released The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This movie, based on a series of children’s books by the late C.S. Lewis, has already proven to be a financial success with a weekend worldwide income of over $107 million. How the movie will set with both Christians and non-Christians is still yet to be seen. The Christian imagery in this movie is readily apparent to any believer, especially to those well-versed in Scripture. However, these images may not be as visible to those who do not come from a church background. We would do well to ask- was this Lewis’ intent? Though many people call the Chronicles of Narnia a Christian allegory, Lewis himself described them in a different fashion. Lewis refers to this tale as a "supposal." In his own words he states, "Supposing there was a world like Narnia, and supposing, like ours, it needed redemption, let us imagine ...
Post a Comment
Read more