Christian Living
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. {2 Corinthians 4:5-7}
Against my better judgment, I entered an "intellectual" debate initiated by a non-believer concerning God's omnipotence coexisting logically with true 'free will'. I won't go into all the specifics of the discussion partially because they are irrelevant to my point but mainly because I just didn't understand what the others were saying!
When I saw the question posted on Facebook [yes, I said Facebook!], my initial reaction was to post immediately a response telling of God's love for us and His divine plan that works with and around our free will for His purposes. I would further explain our free will and human inclination to make the wrong decisions are precisely the reasons we need a Savior, Jesus Christ. Surely this person would see the Light and immediately give his life to Christ.
As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. {Ecclesiastes 10:1 NLT}
Well, that was my plan....until I read the other responses! The over use of "big words" and the introduction of various theories and religious doctrines - without scripture - was all it took to send me barreling over that 'fine line' which divides humbly sharing the Gospel and selfishly trying to sound wiser and more influential than the other guy.....who happened to be a "philosopher of religion".....whatever that means. I quickly took matters out of God's and into my own hands What followed were two full paragraphs of carefully prepared scriptures and run-on sentences including "the fall of man" and thoughts from the "Jobian theodicy" [according to the good philosopher] which took me hours to devise to ensure I wouldn't sound as uneducated and unexperienced as I actually am. To my naive surprise, the debate did not come to an immediate halt when I hit the submit button. Instead my words only added fuel to the "I'm smarter than you" fire. And as if that wasn't enough, I went back for more with a sort of disclaimer suggesting the questions be directed to the only One who can satisfy him with the wisdom necessary to be content with the matter since no one can REALLY answer these questions in complete accuracy except God Himself. Needless to say, the debate goes on.....without my input!
"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. {1 Samuel 2:3}
Of course, it was not until after I was knocked off my spiritual pedestal that I took my own advice and began to seek God on the matter. At that point He opened my eyes to see where I went wrong. Obviously, not coming to Him first was a HUGE mistake. But more than that, I allowed my self-centered pride to overshadow the point - our sovereign God sent His Son to pay the price for the sins of our 'free will'. And that's not up for debate! It went from being about that gentleman's view of God to his view of me; my wisdom; my knowledge; my grammar; my writing skills. Ultimately it only proved my lack of wisdom and skill AND my lack of commitment to putting Christ first.
After that, I had to re-examine my motives for EVERYTHING in my life. Do I serve at church for God and His people or so I can check one more thing off my pious 'have to do list'? Am I writing to do my part in furthering the Kingdom or for my own gain? Am I painstakingly taking care of my home and my family because that's what I'm called to do as a woman of God or is that yet another feeble attempt to "look good" for everyone else? Do I allow God to use me for His purposes or do I use Him for my own agenda?
ANSWER: I don't know. Just because we put God's name on it, doesn't mean it is from God.
Do you have any questionable motives in your life? When was the last time you checked?
Honestly, I think I'm going to need some time and A LOT of prayer [the face to the floor kind!] to make sure I'm on the right track. I'm going to have to put my life back into God's hands and let Him help me search my heart since it's apparent that I don't do well on my own. I've got to get back to God's side of that fine line....
We cannot win a victory by our own strength. {1 Samuel 2:9 CEV}
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. {2 Corinthians 12:9-10}
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