June 22 2014
God Why Don’t You Do Something?
Matthew 24:36-39 (NIV)
No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
There is a Christian song that has lyrics something like, “So I shook my fist toward heaven, and asked God why don’t you do something?” “And God responded, ‘I did do something,’ I created you!” So what is this Christian performer writing and singing about here? It brings up the question related to who in this world will do something about all of the evil we see in this world. In this song the singer is first pointing out a lot of evil things he has witnessed, and he is pleading with God, for Him to do something about it! God’s response is pointed to the person who is pleading that they should be doing something about these evil deeds. What about you, do you expect God to correct all of the injustices in this world, or do you believe you have been called to do something?
Sorry, I used that terrible “c” word, as most of us do not like to hear that we have been called by God to do good in this world, and we are called to share with our neighbors the story about how our lives have been enriched by having Jesus as the center of our life. Are you working on trying to actually have Jesus as the center of your life? Busy, busy, so busy, do you ever have time to try to shut out the hustle and bustle, and just talk to Jesus? It is difficult to clear your mind and just actually sit or kneel down and just talk to Jesus? I find it difficult to ever get everything done, I had hoped to complete each and every day! So when do we have time to save the world, as we may be called to do?
A neat trick to do is to commit everything you do to be an offering to the glory of God. First, it makes it possible to actually allow the Holy Spirit access to you, and it makes you question the choices you make as to what you are about to do, does it glorify God in some way? If it is, or may be, a sin, then will you still choose to do it? Paul wrote about this battle to the church of the Galatians. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:16-17) We all have inherited a sinful nature and thus we are prone to see sin in a positive not negative light.
Do you really believe Jesus is who He said He is? Did Jesus come into this world to help mankind, or to cause confusion and even hatred? Some reading this may wonder what this commentary is trying to teach, but be sure of one thing; the writer is struggling to understand what Jesus desires His followers to do, every day for the rest of their lives! We do live day-to-day, but please do your best to keep the Holy Spirit involved as much as you can allow! There MUST be an urgency attached to each life that is committed to Jesus, because we are not promised tomorrow! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! If you wake up tomorrow, remember to thank God!
John wrote about this wonderful gift God gave to this world, and meant it for all of mankind. John wrote about this boundless love God showed all of mankind, if they desire to accept this wonderful gift. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18) Do you believe, “in the name of God’s one and only Son?” There is but one name that all mankind must bow down to at the end of their life in this world God created for us.
Some people now refuse to believe many of the accounts written in the Bible, because some humans have tried to ascertain the future by some casual reading of God’s Word, and then they have predicted future events, and have tied then to future dates. Then the date arrived, and the event they prophesied did not occur, and some people point to such guesses as a failure of God’s Word, and not as it should be, just a bad guess by some finite human being. Such people are looking for a reason to not believe, as it makes their lives so much easier to live without any interference from God or a god!
The writer of the book of Acts quotes Jesus about anyone trying to forecast the end times will be wasting their time with trivial stuff, when they should be more concerned about the availability of power from the Holy Spirit. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:7-9) Have you decided to accept the power offer from Jesus for all of His followers, or are you seeking excuses to avoid getting involved?
Have you decided to avoid conflict by just keeping the truth to yourself and avoiding controversy by telling your neighbors about Jesus and the positive impact His presence in your life has brought? In the selected verses, Jesus is telling about how life will be going along, as always, when sudden calamity will strike. Note here that Jesus refers to the flood of Noah as a real event. Many Christians today do not believe that the worldwide flood actually occurred. Although Jesus believed it happened, some Christians do not believe it.
Just before Jesus left this earth and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father, He told His disciples how the end times would be similar to how it was on the day the great flood started. Jesus said, “up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Do you really want to ask the question, “God why don’t you do something? God’s answer may be, “I did do something, I created you!”
God wants us to tell our neighbors about His Son. Can you do that?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Matthew 24:36-39 (NIV)
No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
There is a Christian song that has lyrics something like, “So I shook my fist toward heaven, and asked God why don’t you do something?” “And God responded, ‘I did do something,’ I created you!” So what is this Christian performer writing and singing about here? It brings up the question related to who in this world will do something about all of the evil we see in this world. In this song the singer is first pointing out a lot of evil things he has witnessed, and he is pleading with God, for Him to do something about it! God’s response is pointed to the person who is pleading that they should be doing something about these evil deeds. What about you, do you expect God to correct all of the injustices in this world, or do you believe you have been called to do something?
Sorry, I used that terrible “c” word, as most of us do not like to hear that we have been called by God to do good in this world, and we are called to share with our neighbors the story about how our lives have been enriched by having Jesus as the center of our life. Are you working on trying to actually have Jesus as the center of your life? Busy, busy, so busy, do you ever have time to try to shut out the hustle and bustle, and just talk to Jesus? It is difficult to clear your mind and just actually sit or kneel down and just talk to Jesus? I find it difficult to ever get everything done, I had hoped to complete each and every day! So when do we have time to save the world, as we may be called to do?
A neat trick to do is to commit everything you do to be an offering to the glory of God. First, it makes it possible to actually allow the Holy Spirit access to you, and it makes you question the choices you make as to what you are about to do, does it glorify God in some way? If it is, or may be, a sin, then will you still choose to do it? Paul wrote about this battle to the church of the Galatians. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:16-17) We all have inherited a sinful nature and thus we are prone to see sin in a positive not negative light.
Do you really believe Jesus is who He said He is? Did Jesus come into this world to help mankind, or to cause confusion and even hatred? Some reading this may wonder what this commentary is trying to teach, but be sure of one thing; the writer is struggling to understand what Jesus desires His followers to do, every day for the rest of their lives! We do live day-to-day, but please do your best to keep the Holy Spirit involved as much as you can allow! There MUST be an urgency attached to each life that is committed to Jesus, because we are not promised tomorrow! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! If you wake up tomorrow, remember to thank God!
John wrote about this wonderful gift God gave to this world, and meant it for all of mankind. John wrote about this boundless love God showed all of mankind, if they desire to accept this wonderful gift. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18) Do you believe, “in the name of God’s one and only Son?” There is but one name that all mankind must bow down to at the end of their life in this world God created for us.
Some people now refuse to believe many of the accounts written in the Bible, because some humans have tried to ascertain the future by some casual reading of God’s Word, and then they have predicted future events, and have tied then to future dates. Then the date arrived, and the event they prophesied did not occur, and some people point to such guesses as a failure of God’s Word, and not as it should be, just a bad guess by some finite human being. Such people are looking for a reason to not believe, as it makes their lives so much easier to live without any interference from God or a god!
The writer of the book of Acts quotes Jesus about anyone trying to forecast the end times will be wasting their time with trivial stuff, when they should be more concerned about the availability of power from the Holy Spirit. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:7-9) Have you decided to accept the power offer from Jesus for all of His followers, or are you seeking excuses to avoid getting involved?
Have you decided to avoid conflict by just keeping the truth to yourself and avoiding controversy by telling your neighbors about Jesus and the positive impact His presence in your life has brought? In the selected verses, Jesus is telling about how life will be going along, as always, when sudden calamity will strike. Note here that Jesus refers to the flood of Noah as a real event. Many Christians today do not believe that the worldwide flood actually occurred. Although Jesus believed it happened, some Christians do not believe it.
Just before Jesus left this earth and ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father, He told His disciples how the end times would be similar to how it was on the day the great flood started. Jesus said, “up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Do you really want to ask the question, “God why don’t you do something? God’s answer may be, “I did do something, I created you!”
God wants us to tell our neighbors about His Son. Can you do that?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
|
|
|