Teaching Kids About Marriage…

Posted on August 5, 2011 by
Filed Under Home and Family | 2 Comments |

Recently, I have been trying to put some material together for our Adult Bible Study on the Family. While re-reading Irven Lee’s Good Homes in a Wicked World (which if you don’t have, you should get),  I came across a couple of interesting quotes that made me really sit up and pay attention. The first had to do with the simplicity of God’s marriage law. Consider Brother Lee’s perspective on the subject:

The law of marriage is simple and easy to understand. It would be a false effort on my part if I tried to make it seem complicated because it is not complicated. The Lord stated it so that the average man, the common people, could understand it. Back in the days when I was teaching school, I had the privilege of having a sixth grade Bible class every morning for several years. I never did have anybody in one of those classes who could not understand the law of marriage as it is given in the New Testament. It is not hard to understand, but it is ignored (p. 11-12).

Brother Lee was exactly right. Men have worked quite diligently over the last 40 years to make the teachings of Jesus and the apostles far more difficult than they really are. As society has sought to corrupt marriage, God’s own people have accepted those corruptions and permitted adultery to permeate the church. Divorce, once a stigma of society, is now common place. Consider the graphic to the left.  It expresses the steep increase in the rate of divorce starting in the mid 1960s. The same steep trend could probably be graphed within the confines of the church as well. As society accepts such practices, the church will begin to do the same. It would be nice if the plain simple truth of God’s marriage law were passed on to other generations, without the influence of circumstances (hypothetical or real) affecting the instruction.

Part of the problem is the corruption of God’s clear marriage laws, but part of the problem is that Christians have not been diligent in teaching their children that God has a marriage law at all. It is sad to say, but there are many Christians who simply have not learned that God has expectations for them in their marital responsibilities. The hedonistic attitude of “God just wants us to be happy,” has corrupted the thinking and teachings of many preachers, elders and churches. It leads to young people never knowing that God has specified who can marry, and the regulations that are involved once that happens. They also never know, or are taught to understand, that there are consequences involved when it is done in the wrong manner. When one messes up, and violates the law of God, he or she commits adultery! That has significant implications, considering the fact that God said those who are committing adultery have no place in the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

This lack of teaching leads me to the second quote from Brother Lee, which describes a situation that is probably even more frequent today than it was when he first penned it. I ask you to take the warning given by brother Lee to heart, especially if you are parents of young children:

“One day I was visiting in a hospital with a a young lady to whom I had been preaching for some time. Her mother was a member of the church and faithful in attendance. The daughter had been coming to the services for several months. She asked that I sit and talk with her for a while if I were not in a hurry. I assured her that I had time to talk. She said, “You know that I have been coming and hearing you preach. I know I should be a Christian. Especially am I conscious of that now that I have my little boy.”

She paused, and then she said a very startling thing. She said, “You may not want to baptize me.”

Now, I like very much to baptize people, especially some one who seemed as sincere and honest as that young lady. I quickly said, “Why?”

She replied, “My husband has another wife, who is living.”

Now, I want every reader to give close attention to her next statement. She said, “I didn’t think anything about it before marriage, but I certainly think a lot about it now.”

That intelligent young lady had lived for approximately twenty years in the house with a mother who was a member of the church, and she married without thinking of the marriage law. The very idea! … Dear Reader, let me beg you not to let a boy or girl live at your house for twenty years without thinking of the law that is stated so often and so clearly in the Bible… (Good Homes in a Wicked World, p. 20).

It is the responsibility of parents to teach their children about what God expects from them in marriage. If we allow our children to grow up in our homes and not know His instructions on this vital subject, then we have failed them. They must know the laws, and the consequences for violating the laws.

Teaching the truth on the subject of marriage will cause difficulties for some people. They will be forced to choose between their fleeting “happiness” and an eternity of reward for faithful service. Jesus knew that it would be difficult for some to obey His command (see Matthew 19:1-12). He knew that they would have to choose to serve Him, even though their own personal desires might not be fulfilled. We can help to keep our own children from having to suffer that consequence by instructing them early. We should start while they are very young, teaching them what type of mate they should be looking for, and emphasizing that God expects them to stay married when they make that commitment. Perhaps, with a re-dedication to instruction, we can make an impact on the divorce rate in our communities. At the very least, we should be able to make an impact on the divorce rate among those that claim to be a part of the Lord’s church!

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When God’s Justice Is Served

Posted on May 2, 2011 by
Filed Under Current Events, For Further Thought... | 8 Comments |

Is that what we have in the death of Osama Bin Laden?

The evidence is in – Osama Bin Laden was a sinner. He was a man who waged war and was not above plotting to kill thousands of innocents (non-combatants) in his pursuit of Jihad. He believed his god wanted him to engage in a war against the great Satan (the USA) and all western influences that were contrary to his Muslim faith.

Some see him as a holy warrior. Others see him as the enemy, someone to be killed; and that before he kills more of us. Perhaps we should consider how the One True God of heaven looks at Osama Bin Laden and more to the point, how God sees us.

Was it the “justice of God” that was served when Osama was killed by American soldiers? Some argue “yes”. A wicked man received his reward. We should rejoice at this significant event. Really?

Then it should follow that God’s justice will be served when any wicked person, any evil doer is killed. After all, that is what wicked, evil people deserve. So, if the argument is valid for Osama Bin Laden, then it should be equally valid for any other wicked, evil person (so determined by the revealed will of God).

Is it fair to consider why some in the world refer to the USA and our western allies as the “Great Satan”? Their argument is that western culture is rife with sin, great sins that offend God. These sins are legal, accepted, protected, and even celebrated in our society. Homosexuality, adultery, abortion (murder), drunkenness, fornication, greed, pornography, etc. populate a list of the sins we have embraced culturally. When God looks down on us it is fair to ask, “What does He see?” and “When will His Justice be served on us?”

When the World Trade towers collapsed in NY, many around the world celebrated the event as a blow against the sinful enemy of God. In their mind justice was served and God was pleased. Now, when the likes of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are killed, we celebrate and declare that the justice of God has been served. Is God pleased… with us?

Is America the righteous arm of God meting out justice against the wicked of the world? Or is America more and more embracing evil in our own great and wicked sins, terrible abominations in the sight of God? Let’s be honest. Does a government that protects / promotes homosexuality and fornication, allows / even funds the murder of children in the womb, permits and protects pornography / and in some instances prostitution (Nevada), can this government claim to be the righteous arm of God against its enemies?

If God can raise up and use a sinful nation to punish evil doers around the world, then can God not also use an evil man (or men) to punish sinful nations? If we can justify ourselves to “take out” Libya’s strong man for his evil deeds, then can someone else be justified to do the same against an American president that endorses the murder of children born alive after a botched abortion? The legs of the lame are not equal.

Who are we to determine when the justice of God is being served against an evil doer? It is true that God’s justice will be served. No evil doer will escape. But, the difference between the true justice of God – and our “view” of God’s justice is in the fact that God’s justice will be impartial. We, on the other hand, can only see God’s justice against our enemies. We are blind to recognize that the same sword that will fall on our enemies can also fall on us.

I love my country and I am glad to be an American, a citizen of the United States of America. But, I fear for my country when I see how our culture is becoming increasingly tolerant of sin. I fear the consequences that will inevitably result from our nation moving further and further away from faith and trust in God, our Creator. If the justice of God is served when the Bin Ladens of this world are punished, then the justice of God will also be served when payment for the godless, evil sins of our people come due.

When we dare to invoke the “justice of God” against evil men in the world, we admit that there is a God who will punish evil. Do we admit that the same God can punish us, for our evil? The Word of God is a two-edged sword and can cut in both directions; not just against our enemies, but against us when we become enemies of God due to our sins.

Let me close with a passage from Romans 1. Herein we learn that God’s wrath has been revealed against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Further, a detailed description of the depravity of sinful men is given. Ask yourself, “Who does this description fit?” and tremble at the prospect of the righteous justice of God being served… to us.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness;
19 because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:
21 because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:
25 for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.
28 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:
32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.

Romans 1:18-32

 

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Who Are My Mother and My Brothers?

Posted on April 3, 2011 by
Filed Under Gospel of Mark, The Church, What I'm Studying... | 1 Comment |

This morning in our Adult Bible Study, we are planning to study a couple of the teachings of Jesus in the gospel of Mark. One interesting passage, that I believe needs to be given more study by many in the Lord’s church is found in Mark 3:31-35. As Jesus was teaching, His mother and brothers came to see Him, and were standing outside of the building He was working in. Someone came in, and told Jesus that His family was waiting to see Him outside. To this, Jesus replied:  “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” Jesus went on to tell the crowd that His mother and brothers were those who were already around Him, those who did the will of God.

This teaching by Jesus is vitally important to Christians today. It is easy for us to be dissuaded from doing what is right because of the desires of our family. Too many people have a “family first” mentality about life. That is, they believe that their family is the most important thing in the world, and so they will not do anything that they perceive to be detrimental to their family. Unfortunately, that judgment is often based on a very worldly criteria, rather than the spiritual guidance of the word of God! So, if they think that their decision, or action will hurt their family in some way, they refuse to do it. While this attitude may be fine when it comes to making poor choices that will hurt one’s family, it is a terrible approach when it causes a person to choose worldliness over righteousness.

I cannot help but think of the many instances in which the choosing of physical family over spiritual has been detrimental to individual Christians, and destructive to churches. When people refuse to deal with sin in the lives of their family members because they are afraid they will “hurt them” or “upset them” they are choosing the physical over the spiritual. When sinful behavior is supported just because a person is related, when it wouldn’t be tolerated otherwise, the physical is chosen over the spiritual. There are many examples of this type of behavior in the church! I have seen whole families spiritually destroyed because the members it it were not strong enough to make a spiritual decision rather than a fleshly one. Condemnation for sin would never come because the members of the family decided that they loved their relative too much to do something like that! What their actions ultimately show is that they don’t love them enough spiritually to try and save his/her soul!

I am afraid that far too many Christians simply do not understand one of the greatest blessings that God has given us:  spiritual family! In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus tells us that when we are obedient, we have a “hundredfold” blessing of family. Despite this, many Christians reject the spiritual blessing, and cling to the physical! Just like any other area of our life, if we make the decision to hold on to the physical over the spiritual, we are failing to put God first. If we fail to put God first, then we cannot serve Him faithfully, and we lose all hope of our own salvation. Small decisions do have big consequences!

This is a hard teaching of Jesus. It is not easy to confront those in our own families when they are walking disorderly. But, how can we do anything else if we are concerned for their souls? How can we watch silently, or even support ungodly actions when we know that those actions will condemn our loved one to hell? Are we really willing to protect a loved one’s personal happiness, or their sinful actions in this life to the destruction of his soul? What a sad statement for our own definition of “love.”  How can I claim to love a person, only to sit and watch him destroy his soul, just to protect my familial relationship with him? That’s not love, it is selfishness!

This subject, like so many others, boils down to priorities. What are our own priorities?  What are the priorities of our loved ones? Matthew 6:33 tells us that we must “seek first the kingdom of God.” That means seeking God and His righteousness is prioritized over our families. So, when we see people who refuse to condemn sinfulness in their own families, we know their priorities are not set right. When preachers support their sons/daughters in sinful practices, we know their priorities are not set right. When we are afraid to correct sin in the lives of our mothers, and fathers, and brothers, and sisters, and grandparents, etc…then we know our priorities are not set right.

Jesus was not trying to diminish the physical family relationships with this teaching. He was trying to elevate the spiritual family relationship. We have a great blessing, if we are willing to see it. Some of us are fortunate enough to share both a physical and spiritual family relationship. We do need to remember which of those is the greatest. I am happy to have good relationships with my physical family. But, those relationships are greatly amplified by the common bond that we share in our spiritual family.  We have all been adopted by God (Romans 8:15). If one of the physical family decides to walk away from that spiritual adoption, choosing to no longer be a part of the spiritual family, then they throw away the more important relationship! Just like Jesus, we should say that our mother and brothers are those who will do the will of God. If we have different priorities (worldly versus spiritual) then we cannot have a relationship!

So, who are your mother and brothers?

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I Gave It Up For Lent…

Posted on March 9, 2011 by
Filed Under For Further Thought... | 1 Comment |

I am amazed at this time of year, how many people I see giving something up “for Lent”. I’m not talking about those who are Catholics, who have Lent as a part of their religious beliefs. I am talking about members of the Lord’s church!  And yet, they see no problem with the practice. Wikipedia says this about Lent:

Lent in the Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, repentance, alms giving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conventionally, it is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time that, according to the Bible, Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

This practice is common to much of Christendom, being celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans.

Lent is described as a time of “sacrifice for Jesus.” I find that very interesting, as Jesus has not given any instruction concerning this practice! While many will not have a problem with participating in the  practice of Lent, I hope to encourage you to further thought, and study.  There are several problems with the practice, and true Christians should consider these problems, and avoid taking part in Lent.

There is no authority… The first problem, and one that should be considered with any practice we involve ourselves in, especially religiously, is that there simply is no Bible authority to participate in a religious celebration called “Lent”. If we are going to do something “in the name of Jesus” or “for Jesus” it must first be authorized by Him.  Involving ourselves in a practice, and then claiming to do it “for Jesus” is not good enough!  We can only know what Jesus wants by heeding His revelation.  If we are permitted to go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6), then what is written is pointless!  God has revealed His mind to us, and expects us to stay within the confines that He has established. Jesus said that the word of God is truth (John 17:17). If it is not found in the word of God, then it is not truth, regardless of how many people think it a good thing!

Self imposed religion… The apostle Paul, while writing to the brethren at Colossae, warned them about practices that would be introduced by men to define their spirituality. In Colossians Paul wrote this warning:

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using— according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23)

The first century Christians were having to face the problem of some setting up “rules of spirituality” for others. If you didn’t participate, you were not as spiritual as the brethren who participated. Paul clearly stated that these things were the “commandments and doctrines of men” and that they provided no true spiritual benefit to the participant! The same thing can be said about Lent. Choosing to give up one thing for 40 days is not going to make a person more spiritual. It is a “self imposed religion” that reflects the same “false humility and neglect of the body” that Paul wrote about.  Isn’t it interesting that Christians today will still subject themselves to the same dangerous practices that the first century Christians had to face?  Why not heed the warning of Paul and stay away from these practices?

Conveys an ecumenical spirit… When members of the Lord’s church participate in Lent and other denominational religious practices and holidays, they convey an ecumenical spirit. Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the word as: promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation.  That sounds like a good thing at first, does it not?  The problem here is that when this is done, it conveys the idea that division (denominationalism) is approved by God.  All of the denominations are not coming to unity under one doctrine, they are coming to unity in diversity.  That means that they are acting unified, but in reality they see no need to come to a common understanding.  This is not approved of by God; it is certainly not what He desired for His own body.  Jesus prayed for unity among His followers, the same kind of unity that He and the Father shared (John 17:20-21).  Surely this type of unity is not the divisions, and differing doctrines that we see in the denominational world!  Can we imagine God the Father and God the Son differing on doctrine?  The mere thought of it is ludicrous and appalling!  When Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren, he condemned the very concept of denominationalism:

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

Denominationalism is a sign of carnality, not spirituality.  Again, consider the writings of the inspired apostle Paul:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? (1 Corinthians 3:1-4)

When we give credence to the idea of denominationalism by joining in with the denominational (man-made) practices, we are not showing our spirituality. In fact, according to Paul, we are doing just the opposite, and showing our carnality (our worldliness)!

“But,” some may say, “We are coming together on a practice and therefore moving toward unity.”  The problem is that the practice is not authorized (see first point above). If we come together on practices that are man made, rather than the practices defined by God, then we are not forming His church, but rather our own!  Until we get past the idea that our religion is for us, we will never truly please God!

It is just like fasting… This is an idea I hear to defend the practice of participating in Lent. After all, fasting is approved of in scripture, and there is some spiritual benefit to it.  If a person wants to fast, they are certainly authorized to do so.  Lent is not like fasting, for many different reasons. First, during Lent, a person is told when to participate, which is not true for fasting.  Fasting is a personal choice, in which the individual, not a religious body, defines when it begins and when it ends.  Second, fasting is the choice to not eat, instead devoting one’s self to spiritual focus (thus most instances in scripture refer to “prayer and fasting” together).  Lent only requires the giving up one item, or activity for the 40 day period.

Most people who make this argument refuse to truly treat it according to Jesus’ teachings of fasting anyway.  Jesus gave some instructions about how to fast, if you chose to participate in that practice:

“Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:16-18)

Why, if one really believes that participating in Lent is “just like fasting” would they announce their participation, so that everyone knows that they are doing it?  This is a sign of the very problem that Paul wrote about, which we mentioned earlier, of “false humility.”  It is a way for an individual to try and announce to the world just how spiritual he is.  He is showing how he has humbled himself before God so that he is willing to give up something for God.

It gives credence to the holiday of Easter… Lent is a period of time that ends on Easter.  Easter is the holiday instituted originally by the Catholic Church, and then adopted by most “Christian” religions (in their ecumenical spirit), to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  Surely that is a good thing to do!  Yes, in fact it is a good thing to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. However, it is important that we do it in the manner He prescribed, which is not a special, one day per year holiday which gives us an excuse to buy new pretty dresses and hunt around the church yard for eggs!  Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to celebrate His death and resurrection, and to look forward to the time when He would return (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).  When we make up our own way of celebrating His resurrection, we are ignoring His authority, and declaring ourselves to be just as (if not more) authoritative than He is.

The celebration of Lent is a reflection that man is simply not satisfied with doing things God’s way.  If we were happy to serve Him, we wouldn’t find the need to make additions or alterations to His instructions.  Serving God properly provides us with plenty of opportunities to do great things, and so there is no reason for us to feel the need to make additions, or to try and make ourselves appear “more spiritual.”  In fact, until we find true humility, rather than the false humility that is shown by practices such as Lent, we will never be pleasing to Him.  True humility demands that we submit to His will, and leave our own selfish (and self imposed) practices behind.  Trust me, God has provided ample opportunity for you to show your worth to Him; we don’t need foolish practices to try and show our worth to other people around us!

 

 

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Leaving It Up To God…

Posted on March 1, 2011 by
Filed Under For Further Thought... | 2 Comments |

How often do we pray for something, and expect God to answer? Sometimes I wonder if Christians believe in the power of prayer at all! While some think that God is restricted to answering prayers “only through the word,” I wonder if we limit our understanding of God’s power. Quite frankly, if I believed that God was limited to what He has already accomplished (the revelation of His word) then why would I bother to pray for those who are sick? Do I really believe that God has the power to heal? If not, then why am I wasting His time (and my own)? Before you jump to conclusions (though some of you probably already have), I am not suggesting that God works miracles through the hands of men today. In fact, He has clearly stated that He does not do that. A study (and true understanding) of 1 Corinthians 12-14 will prove that point. But, sometimes in our rush to dismiss the miraculous, we forgo God’s abilities to interact with His creation. Do we call it miraculous? Or perhaps providential? There is nothing in scripture that would hint at God stepping back, and letting the world move forward without any interaction from Him. Just the opposite is true. The apostle Paul records for us in Colossians 1:15-18 that Jesus is not only the creator, but the sustaining force of this world. Without His constant interaction, the world would cease to be! God has not dismissed the possibility of His interaction with mankind. He has completed His revelation, so we shouldn’t be sitting and waiting for Him to speak to us today. And He is not going to work miracles through the hands of men today. But, God has promised to perform miracles! If you doubt that, consider 1 Corinthians 15:12-28. God has told us that He will raise all from the dead, and that is a pretty impressive miracle!

James encourages us to use the power of prayer. In James 5:13-20, James tells us that the “effective, fervent prayer of  a righteous man avails much.” If we believe in prayer, and use it fervently, then much can be accomplished. I was thinking about this a lot recently, as I had an opportunity presented to me that was very appealing. Perhaps from a selfish standpoint, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, in which I was convinced (and continue to be convinced) that much good could come from my involvement. My wife and I spent much time talking about the opportunity, and each of us spent time praying about it. The challenge was:  how do we know what God’s answer for us is? That is perhaps the greatest challenge for all who believe in the power of prayer. We finally decided to leave the answer in God’s hands by hinging our decision on one event. If we were meant to be a part of this opportunity, we asked God for a favorable outcome on one specific event that would allow all other parts of the puzzle to fall into place. We resigned ourselves to take God’s answer on that one event, and allow Him to truly direct what direction we were to go. I consider this to be God’s providential answer to our petitions. For us, on this occasion, the answer was “No!”  Perhaps on other occasions, the answer would not be so clearly conveyed to us! But, let me encourage you to ask God, nothing wavering, and then take the answer that He provides! See James 1:5-8.

That being said, another principle that we need to remember is that God’s answer of “No” sometimes only means “not now”.  Just because His plan for me today is one thing, it doesn’t mean that the plan cannot, or will not change in the future. Perhaps that opportunity will present itself again in a year or two or five. Perhaps at that time, God will want me to take advantage of that door of opportunity. When God’s answer is “no” or “not yet” we should not become discouraged. If we are going to talk to Him, and trust in Him, then we need to also put our confidence in His answers for us. Prayer is not supposed to be our way of validating our own choices and decisions. In other words, we shouldn’t just make up our minds, then pray to God and act like He is confirming our decision! We need to trust His answer, whether we like it or not, and continue faithful service to Him. If the answer is “not yet” on one opportunity, get busy working on another opportunity that the answer is “yes, now”!

It seems like it is always dangerous to write about this topic. There is the danger of misunderstanding, and therefore accusations about what one believes, or does not believe. If you take nothing else from this post, consider this idea:  Our God is an amazing, and all powerful being. He has told us that we can use the avenue of prayer to bring our cares, our concerns and our problems to Him. If He is unwilling or incapable of doing anything about them, then why bother? God can and does answer prayer today, when they are offered “according to His will” (1 John 5:14).  If you believe in prayer, then use it abundantly. If you don’t believe in the power of prayer, then don’t waste God’s time (James 1:6-8)!

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