Keep God In The Calculations

Perhaps it began with marks in the dirt, then progressed to piles of stones, and then somewhere along the line came the abacus, but men have always had a means of calculating debts, payments and other quantities.

These days we have desk calculators, computers, smart phones and even watches that can calculate.

Most of us go through life calculating what is good to add to our life or what is good to subtract from our life, and what percentage of our life to dedicate to various pursuits. Most of us calculate the easiest way to gain something, and how to get more for less.

That’s okay, but far too often we don’t include God in our calculations and add too much of something or subtract too much of something. We often try to divide our time and talent and treasure into too many sections and end up frustrated because we can’t accomplish what we want to accomplish.

For today’s consideration, I point out that many people add too much of self, too little of others, and way too little, or nothing, of God!

Calculating without God means excluding the God factor, leaving Him out of the equation and ignoring His counsel, commands and cautions. Leaving God out leads to all kinds of miscalculations. Miscalculations that can cause somebody to be deprived of their due and to be robbed, while others are unjustly benefitted. It’s like dividing up cookies the Laurel and Hardy way: “One for you, one for me. Two for you, one, two for me. Three for you, One, two, three for me.”

In every generation there have been attempts to remove God from everything. “Get out of our schools, money, pledge to the flag, government, holidays, seminaries and all of our lives.” When we calculate our lives without including God, we come out wrong and everybody is robbed.

Jesus told this parable, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21 (NASB).

I. IF YOU CALCULATE WITHOUT GOD, YOU ROB YOURSELF:

A. This man obviously operated without any thought or concern about God so he robbed himself of God’s greater blessing.

B. Let’s consider the problems with calculating without God. There are some serious consequences, none of them desirable or good. If you calculate morals, ethics or values without God:

1. On the one hand, you will sell out at too low a price, thus robbing yourself.

a. You can sell the eternal fo the price of the temporal. That’s selling too low.

b. You can sell everlasting joy for the price of transitory pleasures of this world. Too low a price to ask.

c. You can sell genuine freedom for the price of deceptive self-indulgence. You have sold out cheaply.

2. On the other hand, leaving God out of it, you will buy too little at too high a price; that robs you.

a. You may pay for the fleeting admiration of others at the cost of God’s constant approval.

b. Like this rich man, you may gain earth’s fleeting riches but pay for it with assured wealth in heaven.

c. You may purchase houses, cars, boats, RV’s and put them before God in you life – but it will cost you your soul. Too high a price to pay.

3. Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.” Matthew 16:24-27 (NASB). We cheat ourselves when love of the world outweighs relationship with God.

C. In leaving God out of our calculations, we settle for the disappointing, deceitful, and destructive things. We have then robbed ourselves:.