The Encourager
“The Sovereignty of God - by Jeff Curtis”
The Sovereignty of God
By Jeff Curtis
Paul wrote in Galatians 1:15 that God had “separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.” Did he have no choice in the matter? Can a person choose not to do what has been determined in the mind of God? Did God rob Paul of his freedom of choice?
In the logical words of Paul in Romans 9:19, “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” Many people have wrestled with such intellectual problems as God’s foreknowledge, predetermination, and predestination (Galatians 3:8; Acts 2:31; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5,11). Paul didn’t take time to wrestle with such questions. He simply replied in Romans 9:20, “…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?” In essence, Paul was saying, “Let God be God!” AS God’s finite creatures, we need to reflect on the meaning of the term “Sovereign Lord.”
If God didn’t know the future, there could never have been such a thing as prophecy, which grants us precious promises that enable us to “become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2Peter 1:4). To whatever degree we advance in our spiritual understanding of God, there will always be questions that we cannot answer. Although we should continue our quest for Him, we must understand that He is God indeed and His thoughts and His ways will never completely be within our grasp (Isaiah 55:8-9).
We cannot doubt that He loves us and desires our salvation. We know it is not His will that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2Peter 3:9). He has unmistakably demonstrated this desire through the cross of Christ. The only open question is whether or not we will respond to His love and bow our knees to the reign of His Christ in humble submission. However much or little we can grasp of it, let us honor His infinite and unfathomable wisdom.
Meditate on this:
1 Kings 2:1-2
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he [a]charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
Two Men Serve the Lord.
Robert F. Turner
Two men serve the Lord. The first is motivated by his love for the local church as an institution. He enthusiastically supports its program of activities. He works diligently to get others to be baptized, for he is interested in this organization of which he is a part, and he wants to see it grow. He attends all the meetings, gives liberally of his money, and really does his part in support of the local church.
The other is motivated by his love for the Lord. He too works to convert others, but he does so because he is concerned for their souls. He too attends all the meetings, for in doing so he is drawn closer to the Lord whom he loves, and has opportunity to glorify His name. He also gives liberally of his money, for he loves the Lord and is interested in doing his part in financing His work. He loves the church and rejoices when it grows I but his love reaches far more deeply than does that of the first man; in fact, he would serve the Lord if there were not another Christian on earth nor prospects that there ever would be another.
The first man’s enthusiasm is dependent to a great degree on others. While the congregation is growing and active, his enthusiasm continues strong; but when problems arise, or his favorite preacher moves on, or some of his brethren don’t pull their weight, or someone criticizes him, or the congregation just generally faces a difficult period, his enthusiasm begins to wane, and he becomes unfaithful.
The second man is stable and unwavering. Brethren come and go; the congregation of which he is part has its periods of growth and periods of depression; problems arise from time to time; but this man’s enthusiasm remains constant through it all, for it is centered on Him who never changes, the One who has promised, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Let us take heed, then, how we build (1 Cor. 3:10). Perhaps the title of this article should have read, One Man Serves the Lord, for it is very doubtful that the first man serves the Lord at all. (1973)
