Naturally, we each want to be our own inventor. If you watch a group of young children interact, it won’t take long before you see each child defining what is his or what she wants to do. No one teaches us to be ­self-­defining. Sin causes us to want to be in control and define what is right and wrong, what is ours, and what we want. Not only do each of us try to shape our image on the outside, but we also have a natural desire to define life for ourselves. Essentially, we want to define the good life.

Now, this is not always bad. God did give us free will to make decisions. He did not create us to be robots who would mindlessly follow His invented design. But we often go way past where we were made to go. Even with our will given to us by God, we tend to want to function outside of His design for the good life. Think about it: If a designer builds a car for a specific type of road, what is a driver’s natural desire? Let me try it on that other road and see if it works! This is seen in every area of life and leads to lots of different sins. Greed. Coveting. Lust. Selfishness. Worshiping what we create. The list is endless. Paul says, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools” (Romans 1:21-22). Who is defining the good life for ­you—­you or God?