Post by Cindy on Sept 17, 2015 11:21:49 GMT -5
I've been noticing more and more the huge difference between how God handles things and tells us to, and the way the world says things should be handled. I've seen the difference for many years and have noticed for a long time that often the world's ways are the total opposite of what God says. But what I'm talking about here is a little bit different. In talking to some people who are in the business of helping others who are either mentally or physically disabled, or addicted to drugs or alcohol, they have some very definite ideas of how things are to be handled. And the way they talk, often what they say sound completely reasonable and logical. Especially when the person you're talking to is as far as you know, a Christian. It was strange because listening to them, like I said, it sounded like they were "right". But something inside me kept thinking that there was something wrong with it. I couldn't put my finger on it right away, but I knew something wasn't right, so I did the only thing I know to do and took my concerns to the Lord.
Although the person I'd been talking to was a Christian, everything they said could have been a quote from any current book about how to help people that are addicted to alcohol or drugs. That alone should be enough to wave a red flag in a Christian's mind because the world never, ever agrees with God. So if the world thinks something is "good", you can just about guarantee that God is going to tell us it's not. But it's not always a simple matter to discover what the error actually is. Of course since the current rage is to label everyone and everything, they used a lot of those labels in their talk, and spoke especially about enabling people and how it wasn't a good thing to do. And, as I said, it all sounded quite reasonable, logical, and even good. So what was wrong?
When I asked the Lord, He kept showing me scriptures about His love for us, and how Jesus handled various situations, even bringing me to the story of the good Samaritan. I completely understand and agree that we should not do some things, such as giving money to someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, since they will most likely use the money for more of the same instead of what it's intended for. Therefore, instead of giving them money, we should get them some food or something like that. That way we show them the Lord's love without enabling them to continue on the path of their addiction.
But then there are other times, other situations when the right thing to do, according to God anyway, is not the world's way. God has always shown us His love, even though we don't deserve it. He did not wait for us to clean up our acts and become holy before He saved us. He loved us first and through His love, He saved us. When He saved us one of the first things He did was pour out His love into our hearts. His command to those He has saved is to show this love to others. We are to show it to other believers, but also to the unsaved and even to those the world would call our enemies. We are to give of ourselves, our time, our money and our possessions to all who have a need, knowing that the Lord has called us to do so and that He will take care of our needs.
I think what we have to ask ourselves is why we are going to do something for someone. Is to help them because we're afraid of what they'll think of us or that they won't love us if we don't do what they want us to? Is it because we want to show them how the Lord forgives and is always giving us another chance? There are always consequences to sin. Some are immediate and some aren't, but there are always consequences. However just because there are consequences to sin, doesn't mean that we should insist that the person must deal with them alone or that they must not have help. If our child runs out in the street, the consequence is that they may get hit by a car. Are we going to stand by and allow that to happen so they "face and deal with the consequence" and thereby supposedly learn better? Of course not! No matter how many times they try and run out into the street, we're going to stop them! It's no different when we're dealing with an adult and their sins. That doesn't mean that we can prevent someone from having to face all the consequences of their sin, we can't. But we can do anything the Lord shows us needs doing. Again it's how the Lord deals with us. He doesn't save us from every consequence of our sins, (although that's partly due to our own stubbornness and unwillingness to completely submit to Him, partly due to the sin of others, and partly because He knows everything and will work everything out for our good) but I'd be willing to bet that He saves us from a whole lot that we're totally unaware of.
So when we are confronted with a situation in our life and are unsure what to do, we need to look at how the Lord has dealt with us with love and how He still deals with us that way on a day to day basis, and then do the same for others. That doesn't mean always doing or giving someone anything they ask for either. Sometimes the Lord tells us "no". But when He does, it's always because He has something better for us or knows that what we've asked for would ultimately not be as good for us as we think it would. If we look at how Jesus dealt with sinners and sin, we see that He was always loving. He never approved of their sin, but He also didn't beat them up with the Bible about their sin either. He simply told them the Truth and allowed them to make up their own minds either for or against Him without any pressure or nagging. No matter what the person's sin was, or how long they'd been at it, He never saw anyone as not having a chance and He always offered them His love and salvation. That's the other thing that we often don't notice. Jesus saved people both physically and spiritually. Not everyone, because everyone didn't need it, but those who needed to be delivered from something physically, He delivered them or saved them from it. And He still does that today.
Yet today people believe man made philosophies like AA that tell them that if you're an alcoholic you will always be an alcoholic, rather then believing what God says which is that when we are saved we are a new creation and the old is gone! (2 Corinthians 5:17 among others) Can God use things like AA to help people? Of course He can! If He could use a donkey to get through to a man, then He can use anything! Just because some folks are helped when they go there though doesn't make it right or even good. There are much better programs that teach the addicted the Truth from the start and tell them straight out that they can be made new and have a brand new life. I've come to realize though that Christians today don't really believe what God says or that He makes someone brand new when they're saved. Maybe they look at their life and figure their life is no different so maybe that's something He doesn't do anymore. Instead they should be wondering if they're really saved or where they went wrong. God doesn't change and He always does exactly what He says He will. I know He does because He says so and because He changed me and gave me a brand new life. So if God says He can make someone a new creation, then we can't see anyone as hopeless and should be eager to show everyone the Love the Lord has shown us, so that they might one day experience the life saving change of salvation for themselves.
Although the person I'd been talking to was a Christian, everything they said could have been a quote from any current book about how to help people that are addicted to alcohol or drugs. That alone should be enough to wave a red flag in a Christian's mind because the world never, ever agrees with God. So if the world thinks something is "good", you can just about guarantee that God is going to tell us it's not. But it's not always a simple matter to discover what the error actually is. Of course since the current rage is to label everyone and everything, they used a lot of those labels in their talk, and spoke especially about enabling people and how it wasn't a good thing to do. And, as I said, it all sounded quite reasonable, logical, and even good. So what was wrong?
When I asked the Lord, He kept showing me scriptures about His love for us, and how Jesus handled various situations, even bringing me to the story of the good Samaritan. I completely understand and agree that we should not do some things, such as giving money to someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, since they will most likely use the money for more of the same instead of what it's intended for. Therefore, instead of giving them money, we should get them some food or something like that. That way we show them the Lord's love without enabling them to continue on the path of their addiction.
But then there are other times, other situations when the right thing to do, according to God anyway, is not the world's way. God has always shown us His love, even though we don't deserve it. He did not wait for us to clean up our acts and become holy before He saved us. He loved us first and through His love, He saved us. When He saved us one of the first things He did was pour out His love into our hearts. His command to those He has saved is to show this love to others. We are to show it to other believers, but also to the unsaved and even to those the world would call our enemies. We are to give of ourselves, our time, our money and our possessions to all who have a need, knowing that the Lord has called us to do so and that He will take care of our needs.
I think what we have to ask ourselves is why we are going to do something for someone. Is to help them because we're afraid of what they'll think of us or that they won't love us if we don't do what they want us to? Is it because we want to show them how the Lord forgives and is always giving us another chance? There are always consequences to sin. Some are immediate and some aren't, but there are always consequences. However just because there are consequences to sin, doesn't mean that we should insist that the person must deal with them alone or that they must not have help. If our child runs out in the street, the consequence is that they may get hit by a car. Are we going to stand by and allow that to happen so they "face and deal with the consequence" and thereby supposedly learn better? Of course not! No matter how many times they try and run out into the street, we're going to stop them! It's no different when we're dealing with an adult and their sins. That doesn't mean that we can prevent someone from having to face all the consequences of their sin, we can't. But we can do anything the Lord shows us needs doing. Again it's how the Lord deals with us. He doesn't save us from every consequence of our sins, (although that's partly due to our own stubbornness and unwillingness to completely submit to Him, partly due to the sin of others, and partly because He knows everything and will work everything out for our good) but I'd be willing to bet that He saves us from a whole lot that we're totally unaware of.
So when we are confronted with a situation in our life and are unsure what to do, we need to look at how the Lord has dealt with us with love and how He still deals with us that way on a day to day basis, and then do the same for others. That doesn't mean always doing or giving someone anything they ask for either. Sometimes the Lord tells us "no". But when He does, it's always because He has something better for us or knows that what we've asked for would ultimately not be as good for us as we think it would. If we look at how Jesus dealt with sinners and sin, we see that He was always loving. He never approved of their sin, but He also didn't beat them up with the Bible about their sin either. He simply told them the Truth and allowed them to make up their own minds either for or against Him without any pressure or nagging. No matter what the person's sin was, or how long they'd been at it, He never saw anyone as not having a chance and He always offered them His love and salvation. That's the other thing that we often don't notice. Jesus saved people both physically and spiritually. Not everyone, because everyone didn't need it, but those who needed to be delivered from something physically, He delivered them or saved them from it. And He still does that today.
Yet today people believe man made philosophies like AA that tell them that if you're an alcoholic you will always be an alcoholic, rather then believing what God says which is that when we are saved we are a new creation and the old is gone! (2 Corinthians 5:17 among others) Can God use things like AA to help people? Of course He can! If He could use a donkey to get through to a man, then He can use anything! Just because some folks are helped when they go there though doesn't make it right or even good. There are much better programs that teach the addicted the Truth from the start and tell them straight out that they can be made new and have a brand new life. I've come to realize though that Christians today don't really believe what God says or that He makes someone brand new when they're saved. Maybe they look at their life and figure their life is no different so maybe that's something He doesn't do anymore. Instead they should be wondering if they're really saved or where they went wrong. God doesn't change and He always does exactly what He says He will. I know He does because He says so and because He changed me and gave me a brand new life. So if God says He can make someone a new creation, then we can't see anyone as hopeless and should be eager to show everyone the Love the Lord has shown us, so that they might one day experience the life saving change of salvation for themselves.
!!
