God’s Plan In The Whys March 7, 2010
Posted by John on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 7:09am
We know that God has a plan for each of our lives just as He did for those of Isaiah’s time (Isaiah 46:10-11 NIV). It seems logical then that at times we ask God why we are going through our circumstances. While it has been my experience that God speaks through Bible study and prayer, I also firmly believe that one way He guides and teaches us is through the circumstances that He allows or sometimes causes and that we experience daily. But we must listen for His voice and ask Him why those events are happening to us. Circumstance is defined as “one of the conditions or facts attending an event and having some bearing upon it: a determining or modifying factor.” There is a significant difference between a circumstance and a coincidence which is defined as “an accidental sequence of events that appear to have a causal relationship.” I do not believe that anything happens in the life of a believer that is “an accidental sequence of events.” But we need to listen for God’s voice and purpose. God does not object to our asking Him for an answer to the whys in our life. No – in fact it may very well please Him that we are aware that He might have something to say as to why we were going through what we are going through. However, we must be sincere in our request for His wisdom (James 1:5 NIV) and understanding (James 4: 3 NIV).While we may not get an answer to the why of every circumstance, it is important that we at least seek an answer. For He has indicated that while His paths are “beyond tracing out” (Romans 11:3), the very steps of man are determined by the Lord. (Proverbs 16: 9 NIV). As always I welcome your comments or questions at john@faithrescued.com.
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Are You Running From Why? February 28, 2010
Posted by John on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6:58am
Don’t let the whys in your life cause you to run from God. We have all struggled to find answers to why we were going through certain circumstances. Sometimes we run because we don’t see any good reason for them and we feel that we are being treated unfairly by life. Sometimes we run because we don’t like the answers we are getting. On the streets are countless individuals who for one or more reasons are on the run from God. Some are just aimlessly wandering about as ships tossed by the violent winds of each new set of circumstances. They wander without employment, food, shelter, family, or friends. But worst of all they wander without hope or God. On those same streets are other individuals who are running from their circumstances and filling their lives with endless activities of every kind. They do not see God in those circumstances nor are they even asking God WHY. They see their circumstances as meaningless coincidences without any reason or purpose. While God speaks to us through Bible study and prayer, I firmly believe that He also guides and teaches us through the circumstances that He allows or sometimes causes which we experience daily. But we must first ask of Him the reason and then listen for His voice. We must learn to run to God and not from God in our search for the answers to the whys of our lives. My book Its Never Too Late is a story that clearly illustrates the total futility of one who ran from God. As a stiff necked and wayward former pastor, it took me too long to realize the truth that one cannot hide from God (Psalms 139:7-12). As always I welcome your comments or questions.
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Ever Ask Why? February 21, 2010
Posted by John on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 6:19am
I have, and I still do. As we travel the Christian journey we are going to experience circumstances that we do not understand. Being human, it is natural that we want to know why our loving God allows or perhaps even causes them. Job’s trials were not caused by God but by the devil in an effort to get him to turn away from God. In an effort to understand the whys of our own trials, we must recognize that the battle between the forces of good and evil have been going on since the Garden of Eden and that it is being fought all around us today (Eph. 6:12). We must seek God’s wisdom (James 1:5) to recognize the true cause of our trials. Remember, “in all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrong doing” (Job 1:22). It is amazing that those with no faith in God seldom blame Him for their troubles but that those who believe often ask, “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” While we are on this earth, our physical and spiritual lives are not disconnected, but totally interconnected. It is in our circumstances (physical lives) where the spiritual warfare takes place. When we become believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are volunteering to become soldiers and to participant in a spiritual battle. We can expect victories but also battles that try our soul, our spirit, and our faith. It is even quite possible that the more we seek to please Him, the more we will be aware of that spiritual battle. In studying the Bible we become aware that Jesus and His disciples were constantly waging the battle against the devil and his evilness. Who could have experienced this battle more than our own Savior in His ministry, in the Garden, before Pilot, and on the cross? He promised that in this world we would have trouble but He also encouraged us to “take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I will be praying this week for each one who reads these words and ask that you also pray for me as I sort out the whys in my own life. May we together live as Peter admonished us in 1 Peter 5:6-10. As always I welcome your questions or comments.
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Got Any Throwaways? 2/14/2010
Posted by John on Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 7:34am
It was like a dagger through my heart. The call was from my daughter who informed me that my oldest granddaughter was in jail on drug charges. This was not the first time—it was just another time. How many times would there be? I had never visited her when she was in jail before and didn’t intend to this time either. In response, I almost screamed into the phone, “I think it is time for some tough love. Let her sit it out. It will maybe do her some good. Give her time to think for a change.” My daughter’s response surprised me and made me think. “Dad, I don’t have any throwaway children!” I would later come to realize that my daughter’s reaction was also God’s reaction when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden and partook of the forbidden fruit at the serpent’s suggestion. God could have just returned them to dust from which they were made. But He did not set that example for us to follow. He had given them the ability to choose to follow His directions or that of the serpent. But when they failed, He continued to love them and even made clothing for them to cover their nakedness. Although He did punish Adam and Eve and send them from their paradise, God still loved them and sat out to bring them home to Him again. He spared no effort or time in doing so either. Throughout the Old Testament God constantly worked to get mankind to follow His commandments. He finally sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to provide the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind. Sometimes it would be so much easier to just throw some individuals away than to suffer the disappointment and heartache that God’s way provides. So as I pondered my own earthly father’s reaction to my behavior as a young man, I realized that there were times when perhaps I could have been thrown away, disinherited, disowned or written off as hopeless. But my earthly father continued to love me and provide for me. So it was with my heavenly Father. Hadn’t I once been a servant of God but listened to Satan’s lies and turned my back on Him. Hadn’t I disobeyed God many times, yet God had never given up hope and sent the Good Shepherd to rescue me. Now I realize that God’s way was the way to deal with my wayward granddaughter. Although the way has not been easy, today she is gainfully employed, has two beautiful sons, and is drug free. Do you have any “throwaways”? Have you given up hope? Although continuing to give love to a wayward child is difficult, it is amazing what God’s way can do with prayer and faith. Jesus Himself challenges us to provide that special love that comes from Him in John 14:32-36. Tough love is really loving when it is tough to do.
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The Purpose of Bible Study 2/7/2010
Posted by John on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 6:23am
Recently I read that the goal of studying the Bible is personal application. I could not agree more; however, it is so easy just to read the words without concentrating on how to apply them in our own lives. It is of questionable value to just read the Bible if we are not going to apply its teachings to our lives. I Corinthians 10:11 says that “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.” It would seem then that we should seek to apply what has been written to our daily lives. After we have repented of our sins, accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and confessed Him with our mouths (Rom 10:9), we should make the study of the Bible a regular part of our lives. Only as we apply its teachings and allow Christ to live out His life in us are we able to do as Jesus commanded. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34, 35). In John 14:15 He gives further instruction as to the importance of applying His teachings to our daily lives. No matter which book of the Bible you choose to start studying, perhaps you may want to join a Bible study group near you. I can assure you that you will find it beneficial to your growth as a Christian. One of my favorite books is Proverbs. I find it chuck full of wisdom that still needs to be applied to our daily lives in this 21st century. Its principles were echoed by Christ himself throughout the gospels. Its words are often like a two edged sword; however, there are also many nuggets of humor to lighten it so that it is not too heavy. Proverbs 30:33 is an excellent example of this humor. As always, I welcome your comments or questions at john@faithrescued.com.
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