| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net The single most common struggle you will have in your Walk with God, will be with His Sovereignty. For the Christian, God has either caused or allowed everything in your life. No such thing as luck or accidents. Everything we go through is "Father Filtered". Today, let's look at His Sovereignty but call it something else. Let's call it Providence. Providence has all but disappeared from our vocabulary; but a short hundred and fifty years ago, it was used in every day discourse. It was synonymous with God in the 18th and 19th century literature, and was therefore often capitalized. They would speak of things as - "being in the hands of Providence". It was the link between the Person of God, and the Activities of God. Providence in Latin = pro; or before, and the word we get video from - or to see. In the Bible though, it is much more than just God's "before seeing". It is the difference between Watching the Future, and Watching Over the Future. Let's define Gods' Providence. It is - The Outworking of His Sovereignty as He is preserving, governing and working through circumstances as well as mans' decisions, to bring about His predetermined will. Better read that again. This is Providence. Nugget: The world doesn't see it that way. H. G. Wells said: "The world is like a great stage production, produced and managed by God. The curtain goes up; the scenery- the set looks beautiful, the actors are all lovely, everything's going fine, until the leading man steps on the hem of the leading ladies' dress. She then trips over a chair, knocks over a lamp, pushes over a table into the side wall, which brings down the backdrop - crashing down on all the actors; meanwhile, God the producer is backstage franticly pulling strings and shouting, trying to salvage the situation - or, to bring order to the chaos." May I tell you this is utter blasphemy? The truth is, God is in control when we think things are chaotic. Even when a lunatic goes into a Church and kills men women and children. When there are no worldly answers, - no Especially when there are no worldly answers, God is in Control. "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isaiah 46:9-11 There are three categories of The Providence of God, and we may look at them next time. Orrrrrr,,,,, you could join us this Sunday at 10 am and see how His Providence positively effects you. God Bless. |
 |