It's another Theology Thursday on the blog, and as always, I invite you to open your Bibles with me as we look at another portion of God's Word.
As I mentioned last week, I'm currently in a class on the Judges. While studying about Gideon a few lessons ago, a verse in the sixth chapter of the book got me to thinking:
v.13 - Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
In this verse (emphasis mine), it seems like the children of Israel were teaching their children something about the Lord, but it seems like they were only teaching of the Lord's power and might- of the plagues that allowed the nation to leave Egypt. These parents have apparently neglected, however, to teach their children about the law of the Lord and the fact that He is a just God who judges righteously. Hence they are in the situation they are in- under subjection to the Midianites because they neglected to follow the way of the Lord.
While it could be argued that 'something is better than nothing,' it is very important for us to not only have a full picture of God in our own minds but to also teach that full picture of God to our children. God IS NOT the nice old grandfather who only loves and that sweeps all of our sins under the rug. As we see from His dealings with the children of Israel, those who do not follow God's law will be punished in one way or another. God IS loving and merciful; although the children of Israel don't 'deserve' it, He sends them deliverance when they repent.
We must avoid caricatures of God that emphasize one or more of His 'more desirable' qualities while neglecting the others; we must see and teach the full person of God, even if we can't understand how justice, righteousness, mercy, power, love, etc. can all perfectly coexist.
As a Christian, wife, mother of a little girl and two fur-babies, Mississippi State Bulldog, and PhD, I lead a very busy life. If you add on top of that my obsession for organization and loves for couponing, sewing, knitting, cooking, reading, gardening, and a host of other random hobbies, you've got the recipe for...well...variety. And variety is the spice of life!
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, June 2, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Bargaining with God
Good morning and happy Theology Thursday to all! I invite you all to open up your Bibles and to look at a couple of passages with me; today's thoughts stem from some recent study, as well as my daily Bible reading this week.
I've noticed recently in a lot of TV shows how much people (in general) attempt to bargain with God. This bargaining begins with these characters' knowledge that they aren't serving God to the fully capacity that they should be, and it goes a little something like this: "God, if you get this girl to like me, I'll be at services every Sunday," or "God, if you can get me this job, I'll pray every day."
Job 9:14-15 says, "How then can I answer Him and choose my words to reason with Him? For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge." Job 10:15 says, "If I am wicked, woe to me; even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; see my misery!" Reading these verses made me think of the fact that we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) We all (even the most "righteous") deserve death and eternal punishment for sin, but God has shown us great mercy by sacrificing His Son so that we may have the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins. When we ask for things, we can't offer God lip-service for anything- we can only appeal to His merciful nature.
I was also reminded of Luke 9:57-62 where we see three "volunteer" followers of Christ, two of which try to put conditions on their discipleship. One says, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father;" another says, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." These statements look similar to those in the TV shows, right? Jesus answers the last man, "No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
We can't come to God on our own terms...we can only prostrate ourselves humbly before His throne as undeserving servants. We must empty ourselves of our pride and the things of this world and fill ourselves with the Word, becoming like Christ and "lov[ing] the LORD [our] God with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] strength, and with all [our] mind, and [our] neighbor as [ourselves]." (Luke 10:27) And as Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word...He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." (John 14:23-24)
When we love the Lord and are faithful Him, we are promised that He will answer our prayers (Matt 21:22...more on this later). Even then we can't bargain with God, we can only appeal to His mercy.
I've noticed recently in a lot of TV shows how much people (in general) attempt to bargain with God. This bargaining begins with these characters' knowledge that they aren't serving God to the fully capacity that they should be, and it goes a little something like this: "God, if you get this girl to like me, I'll be at services every Sunday," or "God, if you can get me this job, I'll pray every day."
Job 9:14-15 says, "How then can I answer Him and choose my words to reason with Him? For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge." Job 10:15 says, "If I am wicked, woe to me; even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; see my misery!" Reading these verses made me think of the fact that we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23) We all (even the most "righteous") deserve death and eternal punishment for sin, but God has shown us great mercy by sacrificing His Son so that we may have the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins. When we ask for things, we can't offer God lip-service for anything- we can only appeal to His merciful nature.
I was also reminded of Luke 9:57-62 where we see three "volunteer" followers of Christ, two of which try to put conditions on their discipleship. One says, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father;" another says, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." These statements look similar to those in the TV shows, right? Jesus answers the last man, "No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
We can't come to God on our own terms...we can only prostrate ourselves humbly before His throne as undeserving servants. We must empty ourselves of our pride and the things of this world and fill ourselves with the Word, becoming like Christ and "lov[ing] the LORD [our] God with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] strength, and with all [our] mind, and [our] neighbor as [ourselves]." (Luke 10:27) And as Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word...He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." (John 14:23-24)
When we love the Lord and are faithful Him, we are promised that He will answer our prayers (Matt 21:22...more on this later). Even then we can't bargain with God, we can only appeal to His mercy.
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