February 7, 2008
Prov 16:1 - We can gather our thoughts, but the LORD gives the right answer.
- I need to hear this. I recoil too much at the the cliché of “I'll pray about it” to the point where I don't pray about things enough.
- Help Lord! I just don't get it. Where does our free will as humans play into this?
- This is so right and illustrates the burden I have as a leader; to operate with wisdom and understanding as I train and correct young leaders.
- Yea, my “crown” is coming in nicely!
- I've heard it said that this scripture could possibly be some evidence that God condones gambling. I don't know if that's true or not. I do think, however, that Christians get way too hung up on specific issues. Gambling, drinking, watching “R” rated movies, whatever your particular issue . . . these seem to be personal choices that ought to be made with many different factors influencing us. To say “I don't gamble because I'm a Christian” is as mindless as “I always vote Republican because I'm a Christian”. God wants our brains engaged in our decisions. Why else would He have given us free will and the ability to think and reason?
2 comments:
that verse from proverbs sixteen has bugged me for months! i also took time to read through proverbs carefully during the month of november and that one dang verse just stuck in the back of my mind. i even asked sven about it, who is probably the most insightful person in all of sweden, and even he couldn't give a sufficient answer.
but here is my best effort at drawing sense from it..
at first, i read it like this:
the lord controls everything for his own good;
he even controls the wicked so he can judge them.
and i wanted to puke. then i read it like this (after looking up the verse in literally fifteen different translations):
the lord is always working toward his good outcome,
and even evil is always working, toward his evil outcome.
no clue if that's even remotely close, but it's all i got. let me know if you came up with something else.
Proverbs 16:4 - The New Century Version of the Everyday Bible -
The Lord makes everything go as He pleases. He has even prepared a day of disaster for evil people.
and The Contemporary English Version:
The Lord has a reason for everything He does, and He lets evil people live only to be punished.
I take it that He wants everything to please Him; however, the evil people just won't do His will, so they will be punished. So we still do have a free will; but the wrong choice will not give a good result.
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