Self-serving vs. Other-serving

Just read a short article with very little information in it, but enough to stir a thought in me about self-serving vs. other-serving congregations. In the article it was reported that a Southern Baptist congregation in Kentucky has decided to cut staff and program expenditures in order to be able to send more missionaries overseas. I want to know more about this congregation and its decision, but it stirred my imagination!

What if all Western congregations became convicted of their self-serving ways? What if all Western congregations committed themselves to focusing their resources on serving others in the sharing of the gospel and the relieving of human suffering? What if all Western congregations answered the call, the great call of the commission to go into all the world, make disciples, baptize (immerse) them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What if all Western congregations took to heart the call, the great call and commission to teach the nations to observe the commandments of Jesus, the Anointed?

If, one by one the congregations who claim to be Christ-followers were to give up their self-serving ways and become fully other-serving...I'm guessing it would change the world and most of all be pleasing to our God and Father, the Son our Lord, and the Holy Spirit who breathes life into us.

Lord, may we all be willing to make the change from self-serving to other-serving,Great Commission-fullfilling congregations. Amen.

Sermon from Feb. 6, 2005 FUMC Mission Texas by Ardie Nelson

Why Does God Allow Suffering? Text: Hebrews 5:7-10 In the days of his flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Suffering comes through...
NATURAL DISASTERS: earthquakes, famines, floods, hurricanes tornados, etc.
WARS: worldwide or local
COMMUNITY TRAGEDIES: (examples...)
INDIVIDUAL SUFFERING: bereavement, sickness, disabilities, broken relationships, depression, persecution, etc.

The question is, why does God allow suffering at all? Why does God allow Christians to suffer? In the sermon two weeks ago on the Trinity, I said, "God's activity in God's creation is one of redemption...getting back what once was perfect and whole." This alludes to the idea that the situation in which we find ourselves in our world today is not "perfect and whole." In a booklet entitled "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" Nicky Gumbel says it this way..."Suffering is not part of God's original created order. There was no suffering in the world before humanity rebelled against God. There will be no suffering when God creates "a new heaven and a new earth." (see Rev. 21) We do have this future to look forward to, but in the mean time there is suffering and generations of human have been asking, "why?" That is the question that evoked this sermon.
Last Sunday, Charlie talked of God's omnipotence (all powerful). He spoke of God's self-imposed limitations on his omnipotence and the resulting free will of humankind. God could have exerted his power and prevented sin and thus prevented suffering that comes directly or indirectly from sin. God could miraculously avert natural disasters, but nature is set in motion by God and it follows the laws of nature. Hence, natural diasters have the capability of causing much suffering. They are however natural and to be expected when all the conditions are right according to the laws of nature.
Why did God allow sin and suffering to enter the world? There is as Charlie said last week...a bigger picture. The bigger picture is one of God's love. God loves us and wants us to have the freedom to choose to love him in return. Coerced love is not love. God loves us and gave us freedom to choose to love him back...or not. The human choice under which we live "in the mean time"-- between Eden and the new heaven and new earth--was and is one of rebellion against God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) That choice was made in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, because of having free will and living in a time when all of creation is not perfect and whole...some of the suffering we go through is a result of our own sin. Some suffering we go through is the result of someone else's sin. Some suffering comes as a result of disasters in the natural world. Some suffering is just because...
No one wants to suffer. While we are in the midst of suffering we don't usually want to hear how this is, or it will be, good for us. The pain of suffering can be great and deep. It is all we can do to hang on to the hope that by God's grace we will come out on the other side of this particular suffering one day.
If you study this subject, you will find that the Bible does not deal with the philosophical question of "why" God allows suffering. There are, instead, plenty of examples of people and their suffering in scripture. What we see in studying these and in observing our own and others' experience of suffering are ways God works in us through our suffering. We are not to think that suffering in itself is good or that we should pursue suffering. We can however remember that when we suffer our faith and hope are in God who loves us.
We do learn, in study and experience, that suffering can be endured and God can use it to draw us to Christ. The Apostle Paul exemplified this time after time through physical distress of illness, shipwreck, strenouous travel and persecution through imprisonment, whipping, and stoning. He wrote from prison to the Philippians, "I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Nothing mattered to him except "the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus..." Paul's faith and Paul's hope was in God.
A contemporary of our is Joni Eareckson Tada. Late in her teens she had a diving accident that has left her paralyzed from the neck down. Her testimony on the Larry King Live show was that she "thanks God for her wheelchair." She calls it her "passport to joy." because there are things in life more important than walking, she says. If any of you have followed Joni's life you know she has great faith and has been in fruitful ministry through art, music, radio ministry, and the organization Joni and Friends...like the Apostle Paul... "because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus..." Joni's faith and hope are in God.
We learn by reading the stories of others (from the Bible or other reading) and from our own experience that God uses suffering to bring us to Christian maturity. God uses our suffering to make our lives more fruitful. I think of Corrie ten Boom. Do you know her story? Billy Graham Association made the movie "The Hiding Place" based on her book by that name. Her family was Christian and during WWII they hid and helped Jews make passage to safety from their home in Holland. She, her sister and father were catpured by the Nazi's and suffered tremendously like so many others did in the concentration camps. Corrie's sister and father died in the camp. One of the things they suffered while in the camp was an infestation of lice. They complained but then realized that the guards would not come near them because of the lice. Many years ago I heard Corrie speak at the college I was attending. The witness of her closeness to Christ was evident not only in the words she spoke, but...also...in her face and in the quality of her voice as she spoke. To me she sounded like an angel with a very Dutch accent. She spoke of the many consolations she received from the Lord...even in the suffering of the concentration camp. She survived and was released from the camp. She became tremendously "fruitful" in ministry. Corrie ten Boom's faith and hope were in God.
God often uses suffering to bring about his good purposes. This was part of the text for last Sunday..."all things work out for good, to them that love God and are called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28) Sometimes this truth takes time...years even to be realized. In the Bible Joseph's jealuous brothers sold him into slavery. For years he languished in an Egyptian prison. Later he found favor and received a place of honor and power in Pharaoh's court. When famine hit his family back home, they came to Egypt and it was Joseph who took them in and save them from certain starvation. Joseph endured because his faith and his hope were in God.
Maybe, instead of asking "why God allows suffering" it would be more helpful to recognize that suffering is part of our brokenness. That suffering will be with us until there is the New Heaven and New Earth. Maybe, instead of asking "why" we need to instead make sure our faith and hope are in the One who suffered for us and suffers with us in our afflications.
There are things going on in our lives righ now...and in our world that we do not know how they can be used by God for some good purpose in some future time. We don't see how going through what we are going through will mature us or make us more fruitful. We wonder how this will bring us closer to Christ. Let me ask you...when you suffer, where is your faith and hope? Do you have faith that God is good? Do you hope in the promises of God we find in the scritpures? We might not be able to explain the "why" of our suffering or any one else's suffering, but we can place our faith and our hope in the One who loves us and gave himself up for us.
As you come to the table today, remember Jesus as he asked his disciples to remember him. Remember Jesus as God the Son, the One who came that we might have life--fruitful life--life made possible by his suffering.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jone's book The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person

E. Stanley Jones' book was recommended to me several months ago. With our recent move and resettlement, I just now finished the book. It has brought a renewal in me, a renewed joy in living this life...this Kingdom life.

I had learned what I understood about the Kingdom of God from various sources. Little patches of information from scattered places through the years. I had tried to put it together in my mind, but with Jones' book, it has all been layed out in one place and understandable. It has come at a good time for me, too, because I have for some time been disillusioned with the Church. I didn't want to be because the Church is the Bride of Christ. I love the Church and honor her, but the institutionalization of the faith and the business model and the religiousity that seems to have taken over the church disturbs me. In fact, I have come to think that the Church has been given pre-eminence over the Kingdom of God and that ought not be.

Jones' articulates all that I have believed and more about the Kingdom. I can see that probably from early on the Church got side tracked from living the Kingdom way on earth in preparation for the coming of the Bride Groom . Instead the Church has become something she was never meant to be.

There are many implications to this which I am not prepared to put in this post tonight. But, it is freeing to me to have the insight from Jones about the Kingdom which is unshakable and present on earth. It is a joy to wake up every morning knowing that life in the Kingdom is good and the way of the Kingdom is God's way...and the Way, the Truth, and the Life is all wrapped up in the Unchanging Person, Jesus Christ. All this inspite of the circumstances that surround modern life in a primarily unbelieving world. All this inspite of whatever circumstances come into my personal life.

And, somehow, it makes me more patient with the Church. The Bride of Christ needs, I believe, to get back on track in preparation for the coming of her Bride Groom. Preachers, teachers, and all Christians need to key in on the Kingdom of God. It needs to be preached, taught, and lived by the Church. After all, it is what Jesus preached and embodied. The Kingdom is what Paul taught. The Church needs to humbly seek first the Kingdom of God...not other things. The Church needs to live the Kingdom of God for the world to see. Jesus tells us much about the way of life of the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount.

I am so grateful to God for his grace and the gift that it is to have my sins forgiven and to be a part of his kingdom. I am grateful to him, also, for all those who have experienced this grace as I have who are also part of the Kingdom of God. It is unshakable and the Person who emodies the Kingdom is unchanging and that all gives me great confidence and joy in the Lord.

Layers

When you read or study scripture be looking for layers. What is the text at face value? What is the text saying in the context in which it was written? What is the text saying at it's easiest interpretation? What is a text saying to your context? What is a text saying to believers in other contexts i.e. those in poverty or those under persecution? What is the text saying at it's hardest interpretation? What other layers of deeper meaning might there be in a particular text. Is there more than one valid understanding of any or all biblical texts?

I have been in the U.S. church setting and the persecuted church setting in which the same text was used. There were two very different layers of understanding, context, and response. Might it be helpful if, once in awhile, we in the U.S. looked at scripture from the perspective of brothers and sisters who are living persecuted lives because of their faith in Jesus? If we did, I think we would find that texts that are about persecution are really about persecution and not about the natural or even accidental events that are common to all humans.

Questions?

Several years ago when I was an Associate Pastor, the Senior Pastor and I shared a sermon series based on questions the "worshipers...were asked to submit...concerning God, faith, or prayer that they would like someone to address." I had four of the questions, which were sometimes a conglomerate of questions on a particular topic. I don't remember how many questions were submitted, but there were about 500 in worship during the series, so there seemed to be an interest in the subjects of the series. In four different posts, I will enter my sermons. I have them today only because all the sermons in the series were put in a booklet otherwise I probably wouldn't have them. In those days I wrote out my sermons word for word and read them. Sermons are meant to be "heard" so writing them out in this kind of format doesn't quite work for me. I'd rather hear a sermon. I want to put them here in my "Thoughts on Discipleship" though, in case someone who comes here and reads will be touched by the Spirit who breathes life into words and stirs something inside us. When sermons are "delivered" sometimes people hear things that weren't said, sometimes they think of other things that could have been said, and sometimes they scratch their head and say "what was that?" Any of those reactions or others might be yours if you make it through the reading of what follows. God bless you.

I preached this the second sermon in the nine-part series and it follows:

Text: John 1:1-5, 14 Sermon Title: Questions About the Trinity
Of the questions submitted for this sermon series, there were several questions that are foundational to the Christian faith. The one Charlie addressed last Sunday was about the existence of God. Another foundational question was the one we are addressing today. The question was really in the form of two statements: "I would like to better understand the Trinity" and "An explanation of how Jesus is God's son but yet Jesus is God."
Wouldn't we all like to better understand the Trinity? Accepting that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, three in One is foundational to the understanding we have of God. It helps us understand God's activity in God's creation and it helps us understand our relationship to God. i will first address accepting that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God and then will address the how part of the question.
1. Understanding God as three in One--as Trinity--helps us understand God's activity in God's creation. The term Trinity, though not in the Bible is a way to refer to the nature of God. There are many references in teh Bible that allude to God being a unity of Gather, Son, Holy Spirit. Some (a very few actually) of those are listed in today's bulletin. Just as the exstence of God is assumed in scripture (there is no attempt in scripture to prove God exists...it just starts out with "In the beginning God..."), so the nature of God as three persons in One is, also, assumed. Jesus himself tells his disciples in Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We get the teaching of God as Trinity from early Christians as the church wrote statements of belief about God as they understood scripture and God's activity in God's creation. These statements of belief, called creeds, were written to state what was believed by Christians. They were, also, written to refute what was not accepted as Christian belief. In the New Testament there are several statements of belief about God that could be considered creeds of the early church. One example is I Corinthians 15:3b-6a, which states that "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third da in accordance with the scriptures, and they he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time." According to Bible scholars the "earliest universally acceptied Christin creed is the Apostles Creed. It wa formulated by Christian leaders in the first centruy of the faith," and we are still using that one nearly 2000 years later. The Apostle's Creed was followed in the year 325 by the Nicene Creed, which affirmed the doctrine of the Trinitarian nature of God. In part, the Apostle's Creed states: I believe in God, the Father almighty, cretor of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. The Nicene creed: "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, both seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
God's activity in God's creation is one of redemption. That is, getting back what once was perfect and whole. In God's plan of redemption, Christ Jesus, "...though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross." (from a creedal statement in Philippians 2:6-8 NRSV). This creed affirms that Jesus, though God the Son, and rightly at home in glory "emptied himself" by entering into "human likeness" through human birth to be as it were "a slave." Jesu gave up, for a time, his rights as God to do the work of redemption. He did what was necessary to get what once was perfect and whole back again! Jesus, God the Son, came to earth and lived among humans. Further, the Apostle's Creed says, He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the Third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. The Nicene Creed--through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became a man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; He asecended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
2. Our relationship to God is more understandable in light of the relationship within the Trinity. We understand God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In our relationships we understand how one person can be a father, a son, and a husband and a few other relationships all at one time. We can be mother, daughter, and wife, etc. and still be one person. This is one way to look at the relationship Jesus refers to in his prayer to "the Father" in John 17 reading from verse 4 "I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glorythat I had in your presence before the world existed." In the final statement of the prayer Jesus says, "I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them" Jesus alludes to a very personal, intimate oneness with the Father and with his followers.
The Apostles Creed--I believe in the Holy Spirit
The Nicene Creed--We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
In John 14, Jesus had said to his disciples, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Helper) to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned. I wam coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
The unity of the Trinity, the relationship/oneness of Father, Son, Holy Spirit is based on love according to Jesus. The relationship between God and those who are believers in Christ is based on love. The presence of Christ in the believer is the Holy Spirit who sustains the believer in God's love, who guides the believer to loving worship and work, who stays with the believer until all creation is once again perfect and whole. We are speaking here of a very personal, intimate relationship between God and the believer which is exemplified in the Trinity.
How was Jesus God's Son and yet God? Good question. That is the second part to this question for today. John Welsey in his sermon on the Trinity back in the 1700's quoted the Gospel of John saying, "The Word was made flesh (speaking of Jesus)...". Wesley said, "I believe this fact (that the Word was made flesh)...". There is no mystery in it, but as to the manner how he was made flesh..." "...that is where the mystery lies." Wesley did not claim to know anything about the mystery of believe anything about the mystery of the manner how. His faith was not based on knowing how God became flesh in Jesus. His faith was in the fact that Jesus is God's son but yet Jesus is God (as the questioner wrote regarding the Trinity).
There are a lot of things in this world that I do not understand the manner how something works or exists. Some examples I will admit to are electricity, TV, telephones, computers...I don't know how they work and though some engineer or specialist might be able to explain the technicalities of their working to me, I still would as, but how does that work? The point is, I believe the fact of their existence and usefulness. I have not waited to use these items until I completely understand the manner how they work. I use electricity daily...without even thinking about it.
The caution for us this morning lies in not waiting to believe the fact until we understand the manner how. I am in agreement with John Wesley. I believe the fact but know nothing of the manner how. To not believe the fact is to keep us from understanding how we have relationship with God and what that relationship should be. The thought of what one would be missing by not believing that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; three in One, is overwhelming to me. I urge everyone: don't miss out on anything God has for you. Don't miss out on the close personal, intimate relationship God wants to have with you. Believe. Believe the fact that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; Three in One...even if you cannot understand the manner how!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lay Witness Mission

A group of people came from various Mid-Western states to give testimony and leadership to a weekend of renewal at the First United Methodist church in Madisonville this past weekend. How precious! Thank you, Lord.

Jeremiah 2:19 NASV

"Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the LORD your God,
And the dread of Me is not
in you," declares the Lord GOD of hosts. Jer. 2:19

I've heard people say and I've noticed myself that lightening doesn't strike when we/I sin. Consequences don't come right away, so we think we got by with something...or it wasn't so bad that we did such and such. Eventually, however, the truth of this passage hits and indeed there are consequences when we miss the mark. Eventually our own wickedness and turning from God corrects and reproves us just as it did with Israel.

It is for a nation to hear this and it is for us as individuals to hear this. We must fear God, which is to reverence him. We must obey God's commands recognizing they are good for us.

LORD, may we respect and revere your laws...your will...your way.

Reading Jeremiah

Been reading Jeremiah the last week or so...taking my time. I'm not going to rush through it, because I want to soak up what I can as the Spirit leads me into the word. I'm reading the Complete Jewish Bible and the New American Standard Bible.

Jeremiah had a long tenure as a prophet. He started young apparently (1:6). It was during the years leading up to the Babylonian captivity. There is much to take in from this book, of course, which usually seems to be the case with scripture. One of the little nuggets I "starred" in the CJB was a line from 2:30, "They would not recieve correction."

"They" are the Israelites. The "correction" was the word of God through the prophets. The behavior of the Israelites was missing the mark. They turned from God to idolatry. They rejected the One who loved them and provided for them. How silly! How stupid and short-sighted! How easy it is to condemn the Israelites from this distance!

It is a rare person, a rare community of persons that is able to "receive correction." Most of the time we bristle when someone corrects us. Not only did the Israelites bristle when they were being corrected...they killed and persecuted the ones who were bringing God's word of correction. The job of prophet was a dangerous one.

I have known one person through the years who "receives correction" and who also receives instruction well. I have appreciated these qualities in her because I have observed how they have served to help her grow. Many times I wished I had been more that way myself. Her example has helped me become more able to receive correction and instruction...sometimes, anyway. I still have a ways to go. I can see when a person or a community of persons has these qualities it is humility. It takes humility to let God be God and not reject him and his ways. It takes humility to receive correction. It takes humility to receive instruction.

Our loving heavenly Father has much to teach us and we need much correction. We need humility. This can be applied to us individually and to the Church. When we miss the mark...when we, like the Israelites turn to anything or anyone other than God with our love and devotion we need to hear the prophets' reminders that our love and devotion belong to God and to God alone.

The Israelites strayed so far, they ended up in captivity in Babylon. When we stray from God, we end up in places we don't want to be either.

Lord, may we not be silly, stupid, or short-sighted...rejecting the One who loves us and provides for us. May we, in the Church, learn humility so we can take correction and instruction. May there be those in the Church who will, like Jeremiah, receive the role of prophet to proclaim those words of correction and instruction. Lord, there is none like you!!!

Speaking of "time"

The last entry was some "time" ago. That was January and this is nearly July! In this period of time, I have gone from preaching to real estate. We have moved from Eagle Lake, TX to Centerville, TX. I'm blogging from our sunroom and watching the cardinals, buntings, chicadees, squirrels, etc at the feeder.

I love being in this room as the sun comes up and welcoming the day from here. Now that we have internet I can get praise music from YouTube (enjoyed some Third Day this morning).

The first couple of weeks here I was "stuck" (not a bad thing) in Paul's letters to the Thessalonians for my scripture reading. I read them from the Complete Jewish Bible. Opening the first letter, Paul was giving thanks for what the Lord had brought about in the Thessalonian believers. He recounted three things about them: their trust, love, and hope. He said their trust produced action, their love produced hard work, and their hope produced perseverance. All of this in the context of their lives in a pagan, God-less world.

I can't help but think of believers today. Our social context is not hospitable to trust in God. Some in our government and society would have the mention and acknowledgement of God removed from public view. Other countries, I fear, and their social context don't have any better grasp on trusting God. Love, in our world, has been distorted and redefined. In media and entertainment we seldom see love as sacrificial and unconditional and eminating from God. Love has been polluted by lust and selfishness and the human condition of sin. Where does all this leave hope? Hope seems to have morphed into wishful thinking and trust in humanity's ability to make the world a better place.

Believers today face the same world the believers in Thessalonika faced...a sinful one. It continues to be as it has always been, a world that is contrary to God and his ways. That part of our context doesn't change. Believers today who live as the Thessalonians lived--with trust toward God, love that compels us to work hard to have pure and holy lives in the midst of a polluted world, and hope (sure expectation) to be able to persevere and wait for all the promises of God--are still ones to give thanks to God for. Thank you, God, for believers today who resist the culture in all nations and standfast by the Spirit within them.

Time

As a new year begins, the idea of time and how I use it comes to mind. I preached on this last Sunday. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...", the Preacher wrote in Ecclesiastes. He also wrote that God has made it that way and he has put a sense of the past and the future in us, but it is a mystery about what God has done from the beginning to the end.

The psalmist wrote, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom." (90:12) and in Ephesians 5:15-16 we are exhorted to "...be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil."

Hmmm...2010...what "season" will this year be? Will I value my time and honor God with it? Will I seek wisdom for decisions and actions? Will I be careful to walk in wisdom?

I pray so...

God is in control...

Someone said this the other day...God is in conrol. What is meant by that? When we say God is in control, do we mean that every aspect of life is controlled by God? When we say that do we mean that every event, every thought, every evil thing, every good thing is controlled by God? Maybe not. So, if God does not control every event, thought, good or evil thing that happens in the world...what does that say about God? Is God any less God if he chooses NOT to control everything? If we accept that God chooses not to control everything, what do we think this says about God? Might he be willing to let humans make their own decisions and act in ways they choose? Might God, then be willing to adjust his actions and timing according to what humans do? Hmm...

I do believe God is sovereign. I don't believe he is pulling strings and we are his marrionettes. I wonder if God doesn't allow free will out of his great love. I think I have learned some things about God since I became a parent. I realized how much I loved my daughter, but I did not want or even think I should micromanage her every move and thought. Somehow, I expected that she would respond to my love and learn to love me back. I respected her. I honored her. I would not ever have wanted to think I controlled her. I disciplined her, guided her, spent time with her and shared my life, my faith with her. I provided for her physical needs and as much as possible addressed her emotional and spiritual development. I did not control her. I did have expectations for her. I expected her to grow up to be a faithful person who would serve her Lord. I expected she would seek to do God's will with her life. I expected she would go to college. I expected she would possibly marry. I did not control her. Some of my expectations have been and are being met, others have not. I love her the same.

To say that God is in control probably means that he is in control to the extent that he chooses to be in control and ultimately God's kingdom goals will be met. However, I tend to believe that God chooses somehow and for some reason to work with His children to whom he has given free will. I tend to believe it has something to do with his love for his children. I tend to believe it has something to do with his sovereignty. I tend to believe I have something to look into some more!