"And we believe that God will deliver us from our sins!" the preacher proclaims loudly.
"Amen!" returns the congregation.
He continues, "And we believe that God will deliver us from death!"
"Amen!" says the congregation.
"And we believe that God will supply everything we need!"
Of course, the congregation shouts, "Amen! Amen!"
"So, we believe that God will deliver us from the stench of death that surrounds this congregation because we have given poorly and have reaped poorly. We have fallen into the sin of selfishness and have not seen God's deliverance. We have been faithless because we have not believed that God would supply our needs. We are as guilty as those who would not go into the Promised Land!" The preacher takes a breath.
The congregation is silent. The preacher has gone from preaching to meddling in the way they like to live.
Why is it that believers say they have faith in Christ for eternity but cannot believe God for tomorrow? It makes no sense. They call their lack of faith "being practical." They don't see it as a lack of faith. They want faith to be something that they do after they have seen all the supply God can bring. They do not want to tackle anything that causes them to give beyond what they can already see.
But this is always God's calling to us. We will never believe He will supply our needs if we do not walk with Him that requires us to give up what we already have. He made the Hebrew people walk out into a wilderness so they would learn to trust Him to supply day by day with manna. Jehoshaphat began to sing praises to God as the armies of the Amorites, Moabites, and Meunites attacked each other. It took these "singers" three days to carry off all the loot left behind by the armies who were opposing them.
Last Sunday we had a man with Alzheimer's get in his car and drive away. His wife called the police and all the relatives and former co-workers went to places he might have gone. His daugher-in-law was supposed to meet with her daughter-in-law for dinner that night but was afraid to do so because he might come over to their house and she would miss him. The man's wife assured her that there was nothing she could do and should go to the dinner. She moved the dinner up by a half hour and set off on a route she had not taken to her daughter-in-laws house. She came to a red light not thinking about looking for her missing father-in-law when he pulled up to the light right next to her.
Let's think about this: she went an unusual route at an earlier time and happened to see her father-in-law at the right moment at the light. Ten seconds either way would have made a difference. I know there are plenty of people who will call this a coincidence but there is a whole family of people I know who will disagree with them! They know God answers prayer. They know He supplies their every need for they had a need of finding this man who had been gone over eight hours. He could have been in another state. He could have been in millions of places where he wouldn't have been found but he pulled up next to his own daughter-in-law at a red light.
The family believes it was a miracle. I do too. They had a need of finding him and they did.
Why can't we believe God will supply our every need? Do we believe that He can't or He won't or do we believe that He is at all?
Maybe the reason we are so reluctant to walk with God is that we don't know His will. We don't know it because we haven't really asked. We have depended upon the preacher to tell us God's will rather than seek it for ourselves.
Could it be that a lack of belief prevents us from knowing God's will? In other words, we can't know His will because His will is so outside of our paradigm for believing He will supply. Maybe that's why so many people say they have never heard from God. They wouldn't believe Him if He spoke out loud.
Sometimes I think we have so intellectualized our faith to the point that there is very little faith. We run churches like businesses that depend upon the consumers of the goods. Churches have to depend on the will of the Owner. He supplies all the salaries and makes all the products anyway.
The other night I was "impressed" to read Psalm 37 before going to bed. I didn't especially want to but I didn't think I had anything to lose by obeying this impression. So, I began to read. The whole Psalm tells the reader to stop "fretting." I came across a verse that I know but didn't know where it was.
Psalm 37:25 (ESV)
25
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
I thought of this as I went to sleep. I thought of all the times I had fretted over money as if God would not supply. I thought of all the times God came forward and supplied. I was young and couldn't seem to get what I know today. He will supply. People just refuse to believe.
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
4 comments:
Trusting God's will is easier in theory than in practice.
Many of us say that God is in the driver's seat of our lives, but we hold onto the map over there in our passenger seat and tell Him where to go, when to turn, and how fast to travel. We think God needs a navigator.
But there's a reason for that fear-based need for control, sometimes.
I bet some of the parents from Newtown wish they had not trusted God so fully with the well-being of their children. They will be haunted by the memory of how they hugged their six year olds and prayed God's protection over them that morning as they sent them off to school, confident in God's love and care...trusting God's will for their lives.
It will be hard for some of them to walk in faith rather than fear, I think.
Trusting that God is good, and showing it by handing over the map, is the only road to peace, but there are times when only the Holy Spirit can make that particular road passable.
Even so, God is good.
Deb
Ultimately we have to rest on "God is in control". God knows what is going on in our life. He has His Holy Spirit indwelling us; and the Holy Spirit knows our heart. On top of that, angels are assigned to watch over us. We are still with free-will, though, and so, God does not "mess" with everything in our life (mess - for those are always blaming God for not avoiding everything bad for them) or does not keep you protected, and provided for, like a babe, all the time! Yes, He does not do that - why? if God does that, you can turn around and blame God for you remaining a babe forever, retarded!
We are still with free-will; it is not taken from us, upon entry into salvation; and so, we are given space. Without space there is no free-will. Yet, we must necessarily grow; sorry, those who teach that, upon entry into salvation, we instantly become matured and perfect, are WRONG. What are we to grow in?
One thing, is that we are to grow to actively surrendering our will to God. In other words, although we are bought by God with the blood and life of Jesus, and so, are His, God wants us to be be voluntarily following Him and serving Him - like a willing slave.
We have heard or seen movies on how in the past when slavery was abolished in US, and other nations, some slaves would still be willing slaves to the household where they had been slaves to. Their masters had treated them well. When they would not leave but willingly give of their will to the masters, the latter would evermore provide and take care of the slaves, even when such good masters had all along been doing so, taking care of everything that needed taking care of, while the slaves themselves took care of the master's businesses. We have been freed from slavery to the world or Satan; even though our tendency is to go back to the old ways, the requirement is that we return to our roots, and that was to be servant of God, just as Adam and Eve were. God wrestled back our will, through His Son, Jesus, from Satan, and handed it back to us who have entered into salvation; and we are to, then actively surrendering it, our will, to God.
Our God, we must believe He is in control, if He acted or didn't, He knew what He was doing, and what He was doing or not doing, must be the best, for He is Wisdom. We may not understand, but we must trust God. Both obeying God and trusting God does NOT necessitate understanding of rationale. For slave with a good master, the former, also obeys, and trusts, without necessitating understanding.
Of course, God is much, much, much, ..... much better than any slave master. When we have fuller knowledge of God (impossible to have full knowledge, though - isaiah 55:8-9), through hearing His Word, and living them out, over time, we would come into alignment with the will and desires of God for us, and through us. What discipleship with no discipline? There is no such. Who don't need to be prepared, to do something? Everyone has to be prepared. No one becomes a doctor, or an accountant, or a cook, without going through some regime or courses or whatever name we want to call it. No one just get up a plane and fly the plane without being qualified!
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Ultimately we have to rest on "God is in control". God knows what is going on in our life. He has His Holy Spirit indwelling us; and the Holy Spirit knows our heart. On top of that, angels are assigned to watch over us. We are still with free-will, though, and so, God does not "mess" with everything in our life (mess - for those are always blaming God for not avoiding everything bad for them) or does not keep you protected, and provided for, like a babe, all the time! Yes, He does not do that - why? if God does that, you can turn around and blame God for you remaining a babe forever, retarded!
We are still with free-will; it is not taken from us, upon entry into salvation; and so, we are given space. Without space there is no free-will. Yet, we must necessarily grow; sorry, those who teach that, upon entry into salvation, we instantly become matured and perfect, are WRONG. What are we to grow in?
One thing, is that we are to grow to actively surrendering our will to God. In other words, although we are bought by God with the blood and life of Jesus, and so, are His, God wants us to be be voluntarily following Him and serving Him - like a willing slave.
We have heard or seen movies on how in the past when slavery was abolished in US, and other nations, some slaves would still be willing slaves to the household where they had been slaves to. Their masters had treated them well. When they would not leave but willingly give of their will to the masters, the latter would evermore provide and take care of the slaves, even when such good masters had all along been doing so, taking care of everything that needed taking care of, while the slaves themselves took care of the master's businesses. We have been freed from slavery to the world or Satan; even though our tendency is to go back to the old ways, the requirement is that we return to our roots, and that was to be servant of God, just as Adam and Eve were. God wrestled back our will, through His Son, Jesus, from Satan, and handed it back to us who have entered into salvation; and we are to, then actively surrendering it, our will, to God.
Our God, we must believe He is in control, if He acted or didn't, He knew what He was doing, and what He was doing or not doing, must be the best, for He is Wisdom. We may not understand, but we must trust God. Both obeying God and trusting God does NOT necessitate understanding of rationale. For slave with a good master, the former, also obeys, and trusts, without necessitating understanding.
Of course, God is much, much, much, ..... much better than any slave master. When we have fuller knowledge of God (impossible to have full knowledge, though - isaiah 55:8-9), through hearing His Word, and living them out, over time, we would come into alignment with the will and desires of God for us, and through us. What discipleship with no discipline? There is no such. Who don't need to be prepared, to do something? Everyone has to be prepared. No one becomes a doctor, or an accountant, or a cook, without going through some regime or courses or whatever name we want to call it. No one just get up a plane and fly the plane without being qualified!
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Continue from above
There are things we are to do for God, there is no doubt about that. Those who teach you to just bask in grace, and do nothing, are WRONG. Scripture is littered all over, about us, to do the will of God, to do good works, and to bear fruit. Jesus said that, not just anyone will enter the Kingdom of Heaven even if they mouthed "Lord, Lord"; the will of God need to be done. We must trust God to know what our "regime" would involve, before we are to "fly the plane", so to speak. Maybe, you are not needed to fly a plane; but it is clear there is some basics for a citizen of the Kingdom of God, and we all must get them right. Don't we have to learn to count, read, and other basics? Yes, we do, even if we are not going to be an accountant or a pilot. The basic for believers is that we have to live out our life according to the ways of the Kingdom, which we can know of them from Scripture. God is molding us, refining us, if not for anything else, to be a citizen of the Kingdom, even though we become one before the molding or training, just like a prince is first born to the King before he, the prince, lives out the life expected of the prince.
God is rich; He is NOT poor. When we follow Him, He will provide; what we need, He provides. If you want a private jet to fly around, I don't think that is a need. When we ask, we ask consistent with His will and desires, and generally, His Word. What is that? That is being righteous. Our focus should be on righteousness, as said of the scripture Ps Prentis quoted - Ps 37:25.
He knows what is best for you and I; we must believe that. When God does not think that we should be having such and such, even if we want it and pray for it, He may not grant it. Old fashion, still it may be for our own good. Also possible is maybe, someone needs it more than you and I, and God considers it we should let others have them.
It is our part to focus on the right stuff, so to speak, and to pray and intercede concerning them, and to attempt them, as the case maybe. Then we are to believe in Rom 8:28, that in all things, God works them for the good of those love Him, who are called according to His purpose. Don't develop a spoiled brat mentality - God considers the interests of others, too, and many others; and God considers much factors and variables, too. When God let another win (eg. Win a contract or a tournament), instead of you, it does not necessary mean that God does not love you! Also, to remember, many things are not a matter of life and death, so what you don't have it. Be faithful, and be a good steward of what little God has given you. In His time, He will ..............................make things beautiful. Amen.
As to death, well, we also need to grow past fearing it, for unless we are translated, like the case of Enoch (Heb 11:5), we all have to pass through that (death), to be where we are aiming to go - Heaven. Sure, live out the fullness of time, God intends for each of us, but how much time is that, is but a trip's time away from Heaven; if God says it is time for one, even, a young man to come back to the bosom of the Father, it is going to a better place and setting; you and I believe that, a better place, don't we!? We are to grow in faith, not God is to give you and I, all the faith we need, instantly; if the onus is always on God, there is no meaning to stating and exhorting Heb 11:6 - without faith, it is impossible to please God. It would be "don't blame me, blame God!", when I have not, faith.
By the way Phil 4:19 is not being said, generally for all believers; read it again, with the verses before it, or even the whole chapter, it is being said to a certain group of believers who are of certain virtues.
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
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