Hebrews 11:6 (Living Bible)
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
I feel that my life is always full of challenging situations as I am always placed in situations which I don't like but can't seem to easily get out of. Especially when I look around my workplace and see colleagues get a newer, better job so easily whereas, my attempts come to no avail. This would then result in many one-way, one-sided conversations with God which often go "why, why why...?".
Thankfully there are always multiple reminders that life comprises much more than what I desires and as I surrend my struggles, everything becomes much brighter.
On Sunday, when this version of Hebrews was shared, the word "depending on Him" leaped at me like an Eureka moment. Our life is often not a bed of roses because these are there to make us learn to depend on God. I'm not talking about a sadistic god who forces us to go through challenges and intentionally does it to makes the life of Christian miserable.
But somehow, I can comprehend how these rocky paths of my life is meant to teach me to depend on God and to make me work out my salvation. That is really what believing in Christ is all about - Faith that God takes care of everything. The warnings in Deuteronomy 8:10 - 14 below explains why God shouldn't give us everything we think we should get.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God"
Prosperity, rather than rigors of life, makes it easier for any of us to put God behind us. Sure, the life of a Christian is blessed and we have a heavenly father who has amazing richness for us to claim and live. We're not just meant to live mediocre and financially deprived lives, but ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord.
The Israelites did prove to be less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other gods. Life is always filled with distractions that squeeze and charm us away from God.
Like you, I too desire success in this life. Sure it is a temporal life, but every hour, every week, every month that passes by for a lifetime of say 70 years seems to be so painfully long. However, in perspective of an eternity which our soul will spend someday, this 70 years is a tiny fraction of time which we need to invest to sercure our eternity. Therefore, may you and I spend this human life staying grounded, humbled and constantly depending on God for every big and small thing that comes our way.
I rather we enter heaven having lived a challenging life and never getting what we want, than to have a smooth life getting whatever we want and then forgotting about God in our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want." Philip Yancy
10 September 2008
Depending on Him
Hebrews 11:6 (Living Bible)
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
I feel that my life is always full of challenging situations as I am always placed in situations which I don't like but can't seem to easily get out of. Especially when I look around my workplace and see colleagues get a newer, better job so easily whereas, my attempts come to no avail. This would then result in many one-way, one-sided conversations with God which often go "why, why why...?".
Thankfully there are always multiple reminders that life comprises much more than what I desires and as I surrend my struggles, everything becomes much brighter.
On Sunday, when this version of Hebrews was shared, the word "depending on Him" leaped at me like an Eureka moment. Our life is often not a bed of roses because these are there to make us learn to depend on God. I'm not talking about a sadistic god who forces us to go through challenges and intentionally does it to makes the life of Christian miserable.
But somehow, I can comprehend how these rocky paths of my life is meant to teach me to depend on God and to make me work out my salvation. That is really what believing in Christ is all about - Faith that God takes care of everything. The warnings in Deuteronomy 8:10 - 14 below explains why God shouldn't give us everything we think we should get.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God"
Prosperity, rather than rigors of life, makes it easier for any of us to put God behind us. Sure, the life of a Christian is blessed and we have a heavenly father who has amazing richness for us to claim and live. We're not just meant to live mediocre and financially deprived lives, but ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord.
The Israelites did prove to be less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other gods. Life is always filled with distractions that squeeze and charm us away from God.
Like you, I too desire success in this life. Sure it is a temporal life, but every hour, every week, every month that passes by for a lifetime of say 70 years seems to be so painfully long. However, in perspective of an eternity which our soul will spend someday, this 70 years is a tiny fraction of time which we need to invest to sercure our eternity. Therefore, may you and I spend this human life staying grounded, humbled and constantly depending on God for every big and small thing that comes our way.
I rather we enter heaven having lived a challenging life and never getting what we want, than to have a smooth life getting whatever we want and then forgotting about God in our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want." Philip Yancy
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
I feel that my life is always full of challenging situations as I am always placed in situations which I don't like but can't seem to easily get out of. Especially when I look around my workplace and see colleagues get a newer, better job so easily whereas, my attempts come to no avail. This would then result in many one-way, one-sided conversations with God which often go "why, why why...?".
Thankfully there are always multiple reminders that life comprises much more than what I desires and as I surrend my struggles, everything becomes much brighter.
On Sunday, when this version of Hebrews was shared, the word "depending on Him" leaped at me like an Eureka moment. Our life is often not a bed of roses because these are there to make us learn to depend on God. I'm not talking about a sadistic god who forces us to go through challenges and intentionally does it to makes the life of Christian miserable.
But somehow, I can comprehend how these rocky paths of my life is meant to teach me to depend on God and to make me work out my salvation. That is really what believing in Christ is all about - Faith that God takes care of everything. The warnings in Deuteronomy 8:10 - 14 below explains why God shouldn't give us everything we think we should get.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God"
Prosperity, rather than rigors of life, makes it easier for any of us to put God behind us. Sure, the life of a Christian is blessed and we have a heavenly father who has amazing richness for us to claim and live. We're not just meant to live mediocre and financially deprived lives, but ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord.
The Israelites did prove to be less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other gods. Life is always filled with distractions that squeeze and charm us away from God.
Like you, I too desire success in this life. Sure it is a temporal life, but every hour, every week, every month that passes by for a lifetime of say 70 years seems to be so painfully long. However, in perspective of an eternity which our soul will spend someday, this 70 years is a tiny fraction of time which we need to invest to sercure our eternity. Therefore, may you and I spend this human life staying grounded, humbled and constantly depending on God for every big and small thing that comes our way.
I rather we enter heaven having lived a challenging life and never getting what we want, than to have a smooth life getting whatever we want and then forgotting about God in our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want." Philip Yancy
