Ivan Chamurliev
Active
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2020
- Messages
- 122
Hi. I just wanted to share something with you that I was meditating on this past time.
What kind of answers do we receive from God or which is our concept of how He is helping us and doing His work in us? What His care for those who believe consist of? Is it always receiving the answers we like?
Sometimes He tells us "no" for something. "Just don't do it. It is not for you now." If it is sin, we just mustn't do it, but it can be something legitimate too and He can still tell us "no" for that thing.
Simply because it won't be good for us. Maybe one day we can have it or maybe never, and He knows the reasons.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16,17
"You lust and do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:2,3
These are some of the verses that speak about God telling "no" for something to someone. And in these verses we also see the heart of the man. We always would like to receive "yes" as an answer. This is our nature. As a small kid when his father tells him "no" for something, it starts to cry. It mustn't be always like that for us Christians. We have to accept the answer of God for our good. He always know what is the best for us and what can lead us closer to Him, which is the most important, because He is in the centre of all. We always use to think that everything goes around us, that we are in the centre, but no, it isn't in this way.
Many times we reduce the Christian faith as something that is based only on our "good" decisions, but it is not always in this way. Obviously we need to make decisions, but we are here because of the decisions that He took. Because He died for us, and if we can do something today or even to take a good decision, it is because of that. The Christianity is based on His decisions for our life. We need to hear His opinion for our life and listen to it. This will lead us to good. Remember? He has good and for our life, plans to prosper us and not to harm us. But how are we going to enter into this promise if we don't let Him decide for us, listening to Him, even if He tells us "no" for something. Are we going to say "no God, don't tell me "no" for this thing, l can manage it by myself."
When I'm speaking about "no" for something, it can be anything. I don't know the situation you might be living right now.
"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "this is a hard saying; who can understand it?" John 6:60
This is what they said when Jesus told them that if they didn't eat His flesh and drank His blood, then they wouldn't have life in them. It is like He started setting up conditions like "unless you don't do this or that" you won't have part with me.
And people don't like conditions.
We need to accept as well the "no" from Him. He is the Potter and we are the clay. We have to follow Him.
"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Romans 9:20
In this verse makes a reference for the clay and God being the Potter and in the whole of this chapter 9 of Romans speaks about God's election. And maybe knowing how to be a clay in His hands, will help us to understand about the election and the choices He makes.
He knows what is the best for us even though sometimes it might cost us, even to tears, but He still gives us comfort and helps us to accept it.
What kind of answers do we receive from God or which is our concept of how He is helping us and doing His work in us? What His care for those who believe consist of? Is it always receiving the answers we like?
Sometimes He tells us "no" for something. "Just don't do it. It is not for you now." If it is sin, we just mustn't do it, but it can be something legitimate too and He can still tell us "no" for that thing.
Simply because it won't be good for us. Maybe one day we can have it or maybe never, and He knows the reasons.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16,17
"You lust and do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:2,3
These are some of the verses that speak about God telling "no" for something to someone. And in these verses we also see the heart of the man. We always would like to receive "yes" as an answer. This is our nature. As a small kid when his father tells him "no" for something, it starts to cry. It mustn't be always like that for us Christians. We have to accept the answer of God for our good. He always know what is the best for us and what can lead us closer to Him, which is the most important, because He is in the centre of all. We always use to think that everything goes around us, that we are in the centre, but no, it isn't in this way.
Many times we reduce the Christian faith as something that is based only on our "good" decisions, but it is not always in this way. Obviously we need to make decisions, but we are here because of the decisions that He took. Because He died for us, and if we can do something today or even to take a good decision, it is because of that. The Christianity is based on His decisions for our life. We need to hear His opinion for our life and listen to it. This will lead us to good. Remember? He has good and for our life, plans to prosper us and not to harm us. But how are we going to enter into this promise if we don't let Him decide for us, listening to Him, even if He tells us "no" for something. Are we going to say "no God, don't tell me "no" for this thing, l can manage it by myself."
When I'm speaking about "no" for something, it can be anything. I don't know the situation you might be living right now.
"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "this is a hard saying; who can understand it?" John 6:60
This is what they said when Jesus told them that if they didn't eat His flesh and drank His blood, then they wouldn't have life in them. It is like He started setting up conditions like "unless you don't do this or that" you won't have part with me.
And people don't like conditions.
We need to accept as well the "no" from Him. He is the Potter and we are the clay. We have to follow Him.
"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Romans 9:20
In this verse makes a reference for the clay and God being the Potter and in the whole of this chapter 9 of Romans speaks about God's election. And maybe knowing how to be a clay in His hands, will help us to understand about the election and the choices He makes.
He knows what is the best for us even though sometimes it might cost us, even to tears, but He still gives us comfort and helps us to accept it.
