James 1:13-18
And remember, when someone wants to
do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do
wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of
man’s own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil
actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God.
So don’t
be misled, dear brothers. But whatever is good and perfect comes to us
from God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change
or shadow. And it was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives
through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, the first
children in his new family.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Here we go again! An
incredibly dangerous, Category 5 hurricane is bearing down on the
Pacific Coast of Mexico…the strongest hurricane in recorded history.
Thousands of people are stranded there, including as many as 10,000
Americans. Among them is a woman from my home town. Her friends and
family are understandably worried.
I can hear the drum-beaters
already…”God caused this hurricane as punishment for something (you get
to choose the ‘sin’). He’s going to teach some people a lesson!” To
these people, I say, “BALONEY!” I don’t know why this storm is brewing –
or why God is allowing it to hit land and put people in harm’s way.
But I do know that He didn’t say, “I think I will cause a potentially
deadly storm and wipe out a bunch of people.” I don’t think God is
punishing my mother or several other family members and friends by
“giving them cancer.” I just do not serve a God who operates this way.
Yes,
I’ve read the scriptures. Yes, I know that God is plenty capable of
punishing with death and all sorts of tragedies and maladies. But I
have also read passages like this one from James 1, in which it is
clearly stated that God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone
else to do it. And deliberately wiping out a group of people or causing
someone to suffer would be wrong.
Where does this leave us? Are
we simply to concede that whatever happens is “God’s will” and we have
to accept it? I don’t believe so. When “bad things happen,” I have to
trust that there are just so many things about God and how He operates
that I do not – and will not – understand in this lifetime. But I DO
KNOW how loving He is…how precious we are to Him – each and every one of
us – and I refuse to accept that He would deliberately harm us, for
even one minute.
Even those of us who are “royal stinkers” are
loved by God just as much as the most faith-filled Christian…and He
desires that every single one of us would turn to Him and surrender – to
do all within our power to serve Him obediently and willingly. And God
also wants us to stop worrying.
Even in the midst of this
raging monster of a storm, I refuse to be frightened for our friend who
is there. I am trusting God to wrap His arms around her and those with
whom she is “hunkered down” in a Puerto Vallarta convention center. I
believe that He is monitoring every gust of wind…every wave of
precipitation and the swells of the ocean…and every breath of those who
await the storm’s landfall. We anticipate the outcome…we pray for mercy
and protection…and we believe that God is in complete control of a
perfect outcome. It may not look like we want it to, but God has answers
that we do not…and I am trusting that His are far better than mine.
What about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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