Why Bad Things Happen To Good People (Part 2)

If God truly cares about us, why does He allow bad things to happen to us?

Well, the answer lies in the premise.

God cares about us (John 3:16). He wants relationship with us (Revelation 3:20). In fact, we were created to fellowship with God. God seeks relationship. But any relationship worth its salt has to be one built on mutual consent. If one party is compelled, coerced, or threatened to be in relationship with another, it’s not a relationship at all. It’s slavery at worst, and an abusive, manipulative relationship at best.

But Jesus said He came to release us from bondage (Romans 8:21, John 10:10; Galatians 5:1). God wants us to be free (Exodus 6:6, Romans 8:2). And He wants us to choose to be in relationship with Him.

This is why free will exists. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). God doesn’t barge His way in. He knocks and waits for us to allow Him in. He doesn’t compel us to do anything.

This is why it’s so important that we invite Him in to work in our life. He won’t force it. That's not the kind of King he is.

More to come!

God bless,
J.W.

Stumbling Blocks (Part 3)

On Monday, we looked at examples of close relationships (e.g. husband-wife, mother-son, mentor-mentee, etc.) that ultimately resulted in one party leading the other astray. Today, let's delve further into one of those relationships.

Take Jesus' relationship with Peter.

Peter was Jesus’ right-hand man (Matthew 16:15-19). He was a strong, devoted, loyal friend to Jesus. But Peter was also flawed. Just a few short verses after praising Peter, Jesus rebukes him (Matthew 16:23).

At first glance, it might seem as if Jesus was being harsh. Peter simply loved Jesus, so much so that he didn’t want to see Jesus suffer. But Peter’s wrong perceptions skewed his understanding of Jesus’ purpose, and ultimately opened the door for Peter to be used by the enemy to create a potential stumbling block for Jesus.

In Matthew 16:23, Jesus tells Peter, “you do not have the concerns of God in mind, but merely human concerns.” And therein lies the rub. The fact is, we’re all human. We all make mistakes. We all have flawed understandings and perspectives. We also get caught up in "merely human concerns," just like Peter. And this is the reason why we can’t rely on our friends or relatives to give us sound advice. We're all susceptible to "Matthew 16:23" type moments.

So, remember, just because someone is close to you, doesn’t mean they know what’s best for you. And just because someone wants what’s best for you, doesn’t mean they know what’s best for you. God’s perspective is always right. Seek His perspective before you seek anyone else’s.

God bless,
J.W.

Follow The Leader (Part 5)

"God is not a man, that he should lie; not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" ~ Numbers 23:19

God is reliable, plain and simple. He is trustworthy, honest, and true.

We, on the other hand, are not. We lie - often to ourselves. We change our minds - often for no reason at all, other than the fact that we woke up feeling different that day.We often say one thing and do another. We make promises but often don't follow through.

We simply cannot trust ourselves to make right decisions.

But the great thing is that we have someone we can call on to help us. But we've got to surrender to Him and not rely on our own understanding.

God is not like us. He's much more trustworthy.

God bless,
J.W.

The Truth

In discussing religion and faith with both Christians and non-Christians, I've always said I think it takes more faith to believe that God does not exist than to believe that He does. This article is case in point.

In it, an Indiana University biologist argues that: 1) human sexual reproduction doesn't make evolutionary sense, 2) reproduction through sex between two partners is actually inefficient, and 3) the best way to reproduce is self-fertilization, where females impregnate themselves.

So, the question is, why do humans reproduce through sex with other humans?

Well, instead of chalking it up to God or some sort of divine spiritual inspiration, the study finds that the reason for human sex is to stave off infection and disease from parasites.

Really?

The Bible tells us that in the last days, people will begin to believe any and every thing under the sun (Mark 13:22-23). As true believers, our duty is to trust and believe in the truth. Make sure the things you believe are supported by the truth and not a lie.

God bless,
J.W.