What kind of God is He?
This is an unscheduled post but I had to write about this subject as it kept me up last night. Yesterday I read the statement below written on Facebook. I'm not sure exactly how it was meant but to me it seemed like something that might need to be discussed. Here is the statement made by a Christian:
"I do not believe that everything in my life will necessarily be all right and I certainly do not believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that whatever kind of God exists is the kind of God who can’t or won’t interfere every time humans decide to do horrible things to each other, because humans are clearly doing terrible things to each other every day and show very few signs of stopping".
Let me start by saying that I do believe that everything in my life will be all right, even if it doesn't turn out the way I want it to and I do believe that everything happens for a reason and here is why...
First, let's take God's goal ---- What is it?
I believe that God created us to fellowship with Him and be His children. Even though we screwed things up royally, He still wants that. He stands at the door and knocks and knocks and knocks - every door, every person, every where. And our ultimate reward is eternal life with Him. If eternal life was all I got out of this, that would be enough. Everything in my life would be all right if I spend eternity with God. But there is more.
Now lets look at the world and the terrible things that are happening---
First we have our sinful human nature:
Add to our sinful nature, the laws of nature like gravity. If you jump off a 20 story building, you are going to fall to your death. If you drive 200 miles an hour around a sharp corner, you are also probably going to die. If a large board falls on your head, it is going to hurt. If you shoot a gun at someone and hit them, something bad is surely going to happen. These are laws of nature that God put into place. He is not a fairy Godmother waving His wand and stopping all the bad things from happening.
So now we have sinful people and laws of nature. Now add free will which God gave us so that we could make choices and not be little robots.
OK - so now we have a world of sinful people with laws of nature that don't change and sinful people with free will - oh my, what a combination. But we also have God who wants everyone to come to Him.
So I say that because God wants everyone and is knocking on every door, that everything does happen for a reason, maybe we just don't know what it is. And I say that God doesn't always intervene because He is not a cosmic vending machine or fairy godmother, He is GOD. And I say that everything in my life WILL be ok even if it is not until I am with God in eternity.
During this life God has promised us His Holy Spirit no matter what terrible things may be happening and if we ask Him to flood us with His Spirit, surround us with His Spirit and give us the fruits of the Spirit, life can be wonderful.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, etc. These are what makes life ok. Ask God for the fruits of His Holy Spirit and rejoice that you will spend eternity with HIM!
"I do not believe that everything in my life will necessarily be all right and I certainly do not believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that whatever kind of God exists is the kind of God who can’t or won’t interfere every time humans decide to do horrible things to each other, because humans are clearly doing terrible things to each other every day and show very few signs of stopping".
Let me start by saying that I do believe that everything in my life will be all right, even if it doesn't turn out the way I want it to and I do believe that everything happens for a reason and here is why...
First, let's take God's goal ---- What is it?
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
I believe that God created us to fellowship with Him and be His children. Even though we screwed things up royally, He still wants that. He stands at the door and knocks and knocks and knocks - every door, every person, every where. And our ultimate reward is eternal life with Him. If eternal life was all I got out of this, that would be enough. Everything in my life would be all right if I spend eternity with God. But there is more.
Now lets look at the world and the terrible things that are happening---
First we have our sinful human nature:
Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying
out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children
of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Add to our sinful nature, the laws of nature like gravity. If you jump off a 20 story building, you are going to fall to your death. If you drive 200 miles an hour around a sharp corner, you are also probably going to die. If a large board falls on your head, it is going to hurt. If you shoot a gun at someone and hit them, something bad is surely going to happen. These are laws of nature that God put into place. He is not a fairy Godmother waving His wand and stopping all the bad things from happening.
So now we have sinful people and laws of nature. Now add free will which God gave us so that we could make choices and not be little robots.
James 1:13-16
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for
God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each
person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then
desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is
fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires
of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and
the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed
to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
OK - so now we have a world of sinful people with laws of nature that don't change and sinful people with free will - oh my, what a combination. But we also have God who wants everyone to come to Him.
So I say that because God wants everyone and is knocking on every door, that everything does happen for a reason, maybe we just don't know what it is. And I say that God doesn't always intervene because He is not a cosmic vending machine or fairy godmother, He is GOD. And I say that everything in my life WILL be ok even if it is not until I am with God in eternity.
During this life God has promised us His Holy Spirit no matter what terrible things may be happening and if we ask Him to flood us with His Spirit, surround us with His Spirit and give us the fruits of the Spirit, life can be wonderful.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, etc. These are what makes life ok. Ask God for the fruits of His Holy Spirit and rejoice that you will spend eternity with HIM!
My best example of God working all things for our good is the following true story (short version):
ReplyDeleteI had finally got my perfect great dane puppy. He became the love of my life. Gunner was absolutely beautiful with many shades of grey, funny and loving. At 1 week before he turned 1yr, Gunner suddenly died right in front of me. I fell to the floor and wailed. It was the most painful experience of my life. What had I done to deserve this. I cried out to God, "why did you do this to me?" I did not understand. But I knew God would get me through this somehow. I cried every night for 5 months.
2 years passed and I told the Great Dane group I belonged to that I would allow a 1 1/2 year old dane come for evaluation. When he arrived, Mr. Maslow ran into the living room and he and my Gilda ran outside to play. As he passed by me, I saw the heart shape on his side. My Gunner had also had a heart shape on his side. 2 years earlier and soon after Gunner died, I found a little heart made of fabric on my bed. I didnt know where it came from, but I told myself it was a gift from Gunner to help heal my heart. As Mr. Maslow ran past me that day, two years later, seeing the heart on his side, made me smile. Maslow stayed and began to help my heart heal. He was sheer joy. When a friend came over to meet him, I told her about the fabric heart and showed it to her. I realized in that moment that the heart was the same size and shape as the heart shape on Maslow. We looked at each other and in that moment knew that God had sent me Maslow. It was an amazing moment. Maslow turned out to be much more well behaved, more loving and more beautiful than Gunner. If anyone had said to me, after Gunner died, that I would be able to love another dane even more than Gunner, I would have said, "no".
But that wasnt all. Another year passed and I was playing with Maslow. He jumped up and knocked me down. I cried out in pain and was unable to walk. I had asked for help from so many neighbors in the past that I was hesitant to ask again, but I needed help with the heavy dog food bags. I thought and thought of who to ask for help. My car mechanic has said that if I ever needed help, to call him.
The rest is a love story and 3 years later we are planning our wedding. James is a gift from God that may not have happened without the sequence of events that started with Gunners passing. God truly made bad into good for me. We may not know why bad things happen, but
"God works all things together for the good of those who love Him"
Keleen