We were keeping Lil T (Thomas our 4-year-old grandson). I had put some straws we bought in a drawer at home, and suddenly we could not find them (they had dropped out of the drawer into the cabinet below we found out). We were discussing what could have happened to them, and Lil T said, “Probably the Devil took them. He doesn’t like us!” I said, “Well we do not like him either.” Lil T said, “No, we only like God!”
As I reflected on what Thomas said, I could not help but realize that this little fellow understood a concept that most people do not: Satan does not like us; Satan does not want what is best for us; Satan does not care at all. He is truly “out to get us” in any way he can possibly trap us.
It amazes me that so many have it turned around. They look at God, and say, “Well He tells me I cannot do this and that, or live this lifestyle, etc. Therefore, God does not really care for me.” It is true that Satan says, “Do whatever feels good to you, it really does not matter what you do, you will be fine doing it” (remember – “Thou shalt not surely die!”). God, on the other hand, does warn us about what is harmful, and He does guide us away from what is sinful. God truly cares for us. When the Bible says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” it is telling us that God cares. God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
I listen to my daughter and son-in-law dealing with their children. I know beyond a doubt how much they love them, and those children know it, too. However, as I listen, I realize how much they have to say “no,” “don’t,” “stop that,” etc. Why do they say those things? Because if their children are unregulated, they know that would be the biggest sign of being unloved. Most of the time “no” and “don’t” represent those parents’ desire to keep those babies from harming themselves. The “first commandment with promise” was to children to obey their parents. The promise was the opportunity for a longer life. When children fail to obey their parents, then they become involved in behaviors that will tend to shorten their lives. God, as our Heavenly Father, regulates for our good, not for His own. His laws, rules, etc. are exclusively designed to protect us from the consequences of sin, both in this life and in eternity.
Satan wants us to be involved in self-destructive behavior. He delights in our suffering and pain. He tells us, “You have the right to do…” or “You were born into this…” or “No one has the right to tell you that you cannot…” He tells us that if it makes us feel good, then it is right, and encourages us to act in ways that are not only self-destructive but that will destroy other people as well.
There is no Bible verse that reads this way, but it can accurately be said, “Satan so hates the world, that he tried to destroy the Son sent by the Father. His hope is that all will perish, that none will be saved.” Satan will dedicate his full efforts to destroying us, and he is a very capable and masterful manipulator of the world around us, of people we know and friends we have, who will work gladly, or sometimes unwittingly, to help him destroy us, here on earth and in eternity.
Yes, Lil T, Satan does not like us, and his hatred for us grows even stronger when we turn to God. Peter calls him a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” He will call to us, “I will give you freedom,” but he only enslaves. He tells us, “I will make you happy,” when all he wants is for us to be in total misery. He says, “I will show you the way to life,” but he only leads to death! That, Thomas, is why we “only like God,” because He cares for us.
