The Circle of Faith and Fear

Worry is the physical manifestation of lack of faith in my opinion. Faith and Fear can't inhabit the same space as some wise person once said.

Just yesterday I was meditating on this subject and it occurred to me just how weird this cycle can be. Scripture tells us to have faith and not to worry. But many times we worry. Then we worry so much that we start to pray for help with what we are worrying about.

Now here is where it gets weird. Who are we praying to? God. Why? Because we have faith that He will answer our prayers. Really? If we have that much faith that He will answer our prayers then why didn't we simply use that faith as God instructed us to do and not worry to begin with???

We make God's job so much harder don't we?

How sad that man's capacity for evil even surprises God

That kind of goes against the idea of an all seeing, all knowing, omniscient God, doesn't it?  But here it is.  Take a look.

Jeremiah 32:35(NKJV)

35And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’

Now what should we make of that?  Does that shake my belief in an "all knowing God"?  Not really and here is why.

One of the things I admire most about God is His respect for free will.  God could easily just make us all do what He wants us to do.  But He doesn't do that.  He respects our free will. 

Now I don't care how all knowing you are, if you are going to let millions of others make their own choices it is going to be hard to anticipate everything.  So for me at least, I can see where God might be taken by surprise here and there.  Doesn't bother me a bit. 

What I do find sad though is that man's capacity for evil took God by surprise. 

I'd like to point out one other thing.  Notice that while God allows free will, God doesn't alter his standards to "accommodate" free will.  What I mean is that to God, good is still good and evil is still evil.

I think some in modern day Christianity could learn from that example. 

What the heck does this mean?

Every now and then I run across something in the Bible that just leaves me a bit stumped.  This is one of those times. 

Jeremiah 31:22(NKJV)

22    How long will you gad about,     O you backsliding daughter?     For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—      A woman shall encompass a man.”

What the heck does that mean?

This is taken from Jeremiah and God is talking about bring back Judah from Babylon.  Still doesn't make much sense though.

Scared like a girl-Sexism in the Bible

Every now and then I find something like this in Scripture and it makes me chuckle.  Why?  Because it seems a bit sexist and in today's society it would be frowned on.  :)

Jeremiah 30:5-6(NKJV)

5“For thus says the Lord:      ‘We have heard a voice of trembling,     Of fear, and not of peace.

6    Ask now, and see,     Whether a man is ever in labor with child?     So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins     Like a woman in labor,     And all faces turned pale?

Doesn't it sound like God is saying why are all of you guys acting like scared women?  Or is it just me interpreting it that way?  :)

Ever Wonder Why Coveting is a Big Deal?

I have.  Not that I think it is a good thing but it just didn't seem like something that should be in the 10 Commandments to me.  And then I read this.

Colossians 3:5(NKJV)

5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 

Well that explains it.  We all know that God detests idolatry.  I just never realized that in God's eyes covetousness is equal to idolatry.

An Important Warning To The "Enlightened"

I know I have been guilty of this.  Where exactly do we draw the line? 

Colossians 2:8-10(NKJV)

8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 

9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 

10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Wisdom can be found in many places.  As Christians should we only draw our wisdom from the Bible?  When have we gone too far?

Here is my take on it. 

I have read quite a bit of American Indian folk lore.  There are some great stories that make great points.  Is it OK to use the wisdom you find there?  

I'd say it depends.  It depends on how you use it and it depends on your motivations.

In the example above I was searching for enlightenment outside of the Bible.  This was back in my late teens and early 20s.  I had been confirmed in the church in 8th grade and then rebelled.  I was searching for what I really believed. 

I believe my motivation was wrong and exactly the thing that Paul was warning about.  On the other hand now that my motivation is right, in other words my focus is on Christ, I think it is fine to use that folk wisdom to supplement the wisdom that I get from the Bible, as long as it doesn't contradict the wisdom I draw from the Bible. 

Make sense?

Is God infallible...or not?

I read this passage today and it prompted a question for me.  I have always thought that one of the bedrock beliefs is that God is infallible.  God is perfect and He doesn't make mistakes. 

Well take a look at this. 

Jeremiah 27:2-5(NKJV)

2“Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck, 

3and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 

4And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: 

5‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 

This is where God is getting ready to send Judah into captivity in Babylon.  God seems to be saying "I gave this land to who I thought best but that didn't work out so now I'm taking it away". 

Now some would say it was part of God's plan.  Maybe.  But the way it is worded seems to indicate that God in His best judgement at the time gave it to Judah.  But that didn't work out so He was taking it away.  Is that God acknowledging an error in His previous judgement? 

Not a big deal either way.  I just found the wording curious. 

Why isn't it a big deal to me?  Because God is so respectful of our free will.  You can make all the plans you want but if others in those plans have free will to act differently than you had planned, then your plans may not always turn out as expected.

Thinks about it.  Even God had to have faith in Jesus didn't He?  Jesus as man had free will.  He could have exercised His free will and not followed through on the whole crucifixion thing.  But He didn't and aren't we thankful for that?!

And that is why it isn't a big deal to me.  It's about faith, not whether God got every little thing correct throughout history.  Faith in Jesus Christ.  Is He who He said He is?  I believe He is, do you?