Wednesday, June 7, 2017

God's Control And His Plan

The discussion of the environment has become a hot topic of late (no pun intended).  I would not want to discuss what many would consider a political discussion for a devotion, but something I heard pulled me and my beliefs right in.  A congressman put God in the middle of the discussion.  He said, “As a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”  That makes sense for we know we serve an almighty God who can do anything.  We could very well take the approach of Jesus speaking of worries saying, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:31-33) 

However, there is another side of the argument that says we are not to absolve ourselves from just standing around and doing nothing.  When we see something is wrong, Jesus tells us to act.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of many examples (see below):
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”  Luke 10:33-37

We are to remember that our faith calls us to act when God calls upon us.  There are those who may take the approach of not worrying about things for there are other things that God has called on them to do.  That is not an issue.  We must be careful to not to just simply believe that God will take care of all things for there will be times God calls on us to be His advocate.  Whether it is feeding the needy, caring for the homeless, teaching bible study, or (yes) protecting the environment, all are worthy callings of God.  To say ‘God will take care of a problem’  is irresponsible.  That does not mean there will be times we need to leave things in God’s hands.  It means we are to prayerfully go to Him and ask what His will would be for us, and then respond.   Furthermore, the scriptures about worrying mean to worry about what God calls you to do.  Not ignore what is right in front of you.


We cannot turn a blind eye to those things God would call on us to do.  There are many things beyond our control, and God can indeed handle anything.  One of my favorite pastors once said that we are called to go out and do what God calls us to do.  Let us make sure we follow what God instills in our heart and be encouragers of those who God has called to serve in ways that may not be as we are called to do.  What calling has God placed on you to act upon?  What prayer must you have to meet God calls upon you.  My prayer is that we can discern between God’s control from God’s plan for our lives.  Amen.

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