Dr. Calvin Tibbs - Spiritual Strength Coach
Come As You Are
When people mix up religion with relationship, there is no wonder God gets lost in the swamp of bad opinions. God is love. He loves you. He loves everyone, and he gets no pleasure from the demise of his crowning achievement - the creation of mankind.
So why do bad things happen to good people then, if God is love? There are 3 parts to this subject which is both simple and complicated.
#1 God intervenes to the degree that people allow him., because he gave authority to mankind. With that authority man has done both good and evil. We are all witnessing of what happens when people with power disregard God. His plans become second while their plans are 1st. As secular ideas about morality, rights, and humanity become more mainstream, it does so at the expense of the relationship God provides us. The mehem is not because of God but because man excludes God.
#2. God intervenes as the sovereign ruler of the Universe. This means he can do what he wants. Yet there are laws he established that work perpetually. For example, gravity, lift, sowing and reaping all perpetually work in their existence. These are signs of God's fingerprint. And while perfection can be found within these laws, the intervention of mankind minimally affects these areas because they function without man's authority. This is true of everything mentioned above except for the laws of sowing and reaping. For example, when a man sows discord, harmony is harmed. Yet, when goodness is sown, gladness is reaped. The law of sowing and reaping is a sovereign expression of God's design, yet, man can misuse God's perfection by sowing error. This happens because man lacks the understanding of purpose. Within his sovereignty, God can intervene as he wills. This is where people blame God because they fail to observe #1 - God intervenes to the degree that people allow him., because he gave authority to mankind.
#3. God intervenes with grace to assist the innocent. Without grace sin as a menace to society would be totally out of control. Yes, bad things exist as a part of the fall of mankind, but on scale, grace prevails far more than evil. Think about the number of times you have driven from one place to another without an accident? Do the safe returns outnumber the breakdowns and crashes? Consider how many meals you have eaten without going hungry? Have you thought about how much safety has prevailed over treachery? Against the backdrop of your lifetime, you have in all likelihood, been more on the side of God's grace, than disrupted by man's menacing ways.
So, when you come to God, do so in your current state. He can handle your messiest mess! Do not even try to clean up first. In fact, God cannot accept your version of cleanliness. Why? Because you will miss the stuff in the corners of your life. God cleans thoroughly including thoughts, intentions and actions. Everything must be cleaned so that he can wrap you in his perfection without you feeling guilty of a past he has forgiven.
When people mix up religion with relationship, there is no wonder God gets lost in the swamp of bad opinions. God is love. He loves you. He loves everyone, and he gets no pleasure from the demise of his crowning achievement - the creation of mankind.
So why do bad things happen to good people then, if God is love? There are 3 parts to this subject which is both simple and complicated.
#1 God intervenes to the degree that people allow him., because he gave authority to mankind. With that authority man has done both good and evil. We are all witnessing of what happens when people with power disregard God. His plans become second while their plans are 1st. As secular ideas about morality, rights, and humanity become more mainstream, it does so at the expense of the relationship God provides us. The mehem is not because of God but because man excludes God.
#2. God intervenes as the sovereign ruler of the Universe. This means he can do what he wants. Yet there are laws he established that work perpetually. For example, gravity, lift, sowing and reaping all perpetually work in their existence. These are signs of God's fingerprint. And while perfection can be found within these laws, the intervention of mankind minimally affects these areas because they function without man's authority. This is true of everything mentioned above except for the laws of sowing and reaping. For example, when a man sows discord, harmony is harmed. Yet, when goodness is sown, gladness is reaped. The law of sowing and reaping is a sovereign expression of God's design, yet, man can misuse God's perfection by sowing error. This happens because man lacks the understanding of purpose. Within his sovereignty, God can intervene as he wills. This is where people blame God because they fail to observe #1 - God intervenes to the degree that people allow him., because he gave authority to mankind.
#3. God intervenes with grace to assist the innocent. Without grace sin as a menace to society would be totally out of control. Yes, bad things exist as a part of the fall of mankind, but on scale, grace prevails far more than evil. Think about the number of times you have driven from one place to another without an accident? Do the safe returns outnumber the breakdowns and crashes? Consider how many meals you have eaten without going hungry? Have you thought about how much safety has prevailed over treachery? Against the backdrop of your lifetime, you have in all likelihood, been more on the side of God's grace, than disrupted by man's menacing ways.
So, when you come to God, do so in your current state. He can handle your messiest mess! Do not even try to clean up first. In fact, God cannot accept your version of cleanliness. Why? Because you will miss the stuff in the corners of your life. God cleans thoroughly including thoughts, intentions and actions. Everything must be cleaned so that he can wrap you in his perfection without you feeling guilty of a past he has forgiven.