Dr. Shane Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 This is written in the first person but is intended to cause healthy thought and discussion. While I personally have struggles with God's will verses my own, it may not be to the extent expressed in this post. I am one of those guys that wants to be in complete control of my life. I want to know the mechanics of reality so that I can behave in the way required to get the results desired. I want to be able to trust in myself. This is in contrast to living by faith. Living by faith requires trust in God, rather than in myself. Of course I still have to behave. I have to show up to work. I have to be dependable, considerate, ambitious, loving, caring, etc. However I do these things because it is the will of God that I live in such a way. I trust God for the results. I trust that He knows what is best for my future and He will work out all things for good. Sometimes it is easy to trust God to take care of me but hard to trust Him to take care of me the way I want Him to. I have my ideas of what is best for my future and those ideas may not be the same as God's ideas. This can put me in a position of working against God - even though I may be unaware of doing so. When things go bad in my life I can almost always trace the chain of events back to a decision I made that was not consistent with the will of God. This is not always true, of course. I may get in a car accident or have a tornado destroy my house that is completely unrelated to be past behavior. However, in most cases, my problems in life are directly related to making decisions based on self-will. In light of this (that I cause most of my own problems) it makes completely no sense that I would want to control my life. So why, wouldn't I want to trust God to care for my future? Lack of faith. I would rather go at it on my own, knowing that I am likely to mess things up, than trust God without knowing what His plans are for me. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Great Post Shane. Thanks. However, regarding the idea that you cause your own problems... I would also agree with the opposite (as you might have intended) which would be that you also cause most of your own good things that happen by your good choices. The Bible is our Owners Manual. When we follow it .... good things can follow. Not all the time obviously. But it is the best guide we have. I also believe that we answer our own prayers just as much as God does by our decisions. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phkrause Posted July 13, 2009 Members Share Posted July 13, 2009 All good post's guys. Don't really know how to add to them. So I wont. pk Quote phkrause By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil D Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 General post- I question the amount of "control in one's life"....How much control are we talking about? Is this where you want all things in an ordered place such that good results happen? Or are you more of an opportunist and when good things happen, you take advantage of them because you are able to do so.....? What is referenced by that simple phrase "control in one's life"? Or are you able to do things and work to make things happen, because they are readily accessible, ie the computer rather than the chores that you need to do? Quote Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.