I encounter more and more Christians who have this attitude that whatever they decide in life, they have the ability to carry it out to its full extent regardless of God. They walk around spewing senseless words saying, "I have free will," as if God is subject to them and can do nothing without their say so. All we have to do is look to Nebuchadnezzar for a taste of reality. Nebuchadnezzar's will had nothing to do with his crazy state for seven years, nor did Nebuchadnezzar allow God to make him eat grass. God made him to do those things because God owns him and can do whatever He wants with him. These Christians need to learn the fact that God is sovereign–not themselves.
These Christians fail to realize just Who God is. Like the majority of the world, these Christians somehow think that we are of some grand importance and that the entire world revolves around us. Yet, if they opened their eyes and shed their ignorance and took the time to look at and meditate on the span of time that the Earth has existed, they would realize that our life on this Earth is but a hiccup; a mere puff of smoke that dissipates. If they would look at the vastness of the universe, how our Earth fits millions of times inside our sun, and our sun fits millions of times inside another sun, and that sun a million times inside yet another sun, they would realize that our measly existence is but a pin prick in the ocean. We are nothing. We are insignificant, which is why the Psalmist asks, "Who is man that you are mindful of him?"
If these Christians had a proper understanding of who we are and how puny, pathetic, and insignificant we are, and of Who God is and how great, mighty, and awesome He is, it would humble them and they would truly worship God the way He ought to be worshiped. They don't have fear of God because they don't understand or know God. They are ignorant of Him and yet try to proclaim their knowledge of Him. As Scripture says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." Not worldly knowledge, but knowledge about God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
We make plans for each of our days without ever acknowledging God or asking what He thinks of them. We waste God's money on ourselves and make purchases in our lives that we never pray about and never ask God how He feels about them, but when we are asked by someone to give to and support missions or look after the needy, all of a sudden we tell them we need to pray and ask God about it, when in His Word He has already told us to do. We are hypocrites in the way that we live, and yet we try and call ourselves Christians. Clearly we fail to understand precisely what a "Christian" is. We would do well to read the New Testament and to mark everything that is said about the Christian and about the Christian life. Then, if we are genuine Christians, we need to implement those things and conform our lives to them.
There will be so-called "Christians" that will read that last paragraph and start declaring "Legalist! Legalist!" I would suggest that you read my blog entry on What Is Legalism?. "I know Whom I have believed." Read Proverbs 3:5-6 again. In fact, include verse 7. Some of you are in dire need of reading those words. If we are supposed to subject even our thoughts to Christ Jesus, how much more our actions? Our money is not our own. It has been given us by God and He can take it from us just as easily. You have no qualms about spending God's entrusted money to you freely on yourself, but when He tests you with providing for missions and supporting the needy, you draw back greedily saying, "Mine!" You try and act pious by "praying" about things God has already given commandment to, but you deny God with every other area of your life by doing things without considering Him or asking Him what He thinks or how He feels about them. That is the height of hypocrisy.
Considering the vastness of the universe and the span of time the Earth has been in existence, where do you get the nerve to think so highly of yourself? The person who thinks God cannot do anything in their life without their say so does not have an understanding of Who God is, and I would be concerned they do not know God either. They believe themselves to be sovereign, that is why they make God subject to their will. These individuals would do well to study their Bibles and examine the life of Nebuchadnezzar.
These Christians fail to realize just Who God is. Like the majority of the world, these Christians somehow think that we are of some grand importance and that the entire world revolves around us. Yet, if they opened their eyes and shed their ignorance and took the time to look at and meditate on the span of time that the Earth has existed, they would realize that our life on this Earth is but a hiccup; a mere puff of smoke that dissipates. If they would look at the vastness of the universe, how our Earth fits millions of times inside our sun, and our sun fits millions of times inside another sun, and that sun a million times inside yet another sun, they would realize that our measly existence is but a pin prick in the ocean. We are nothing. We are insignificant, which is why the Psalmist asks, "Who is man that you are mindful of him?"
If these Christians had a proper understanding of who we are and how puny, pathetic, and insignificant we are, and of Who God is and how great, mighty, and awesome He is, it would humble them and they would truly worship God the way He ought to be worshiped. They don't have fear of God because they don't understand or know God. They are ignorant of Him and yet try to proclaim their knowledge of Him. As Scripture says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." Not worldly knowledge, but knowledge about God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."
We make plans for each of our days without ever acknowledging God or asking what He thinks of them. We waste God's money on ourselves and make purchases in our lives that we never pray about and never ask God how He feels about them, but when we are asked by someone to give to and support missions or look after the needy, all of a sudden we tell them we need to pray and ask God about it, when in His Word He has already told us to do. We are hypocrites in the way that we live, and yet we try and call ourselves Christians. Clearly we fail to understand precisely what a "Christian" is. We would do well to read the New Testament and to mark everything that is said about the Christian and about the Christian life. Then, if we are genuine Christians, we need to implement those things and conform our lives to them.
There will be so-called "Christians" that will read that last paragraph and start declaring "Legalist! Legalist!" I would suggest that you read my blog entry on What Is Legalism?. "I know Whom I have believed." Read Proverbs 3:5-6 again. In fact, include verse 7. Some of you are in dire need of reading those words. If we are supposed to subject even our thoughts to Christ Jesus, how much more our actions? Our money is not our own. It has been given us by God and He can take it from us just as easily. You have no qualms about spending God's entrusted money to you freely on yourself, but when He tests you with providing for missions and supporting the needy, you draw back greedily saying, "Mine!" You try and act pious by "praying" about things God has already given commandment to, but you deny God with every other area of your life by doing things without considering Him or asking Him what He thinks or how He feels about them. That is the height of hypocrisy.
Considering the vastness of the universe and the span of time the Earth has been in existence, where do you get the nerve to think so highly of yourself? The person who thinks God cannot do anything in their life without their say so does not have an understanding of Who God is, and I would be concerned they do not know God either. They believe themselves to be sovereign, that is why they make God subject to their will. These individuals would do well to study their Bibles and examine the life of Nebuchadnezzar.