Daily Thoughts: John 9:1-3

Monday, October 9, 2017

Yes, Bad Things Will Happen

“Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.” – John 9:1-3

Today, I am sharing with you the question that so many have asked over centuries and millennia. “Why does God allow for bad things to happen?”

You’ve likely asked this question yourself once or twice I’m sure. Why did God allow my divorce? Why did God make my kids so rebellious? Why does God allow suffering in my life? Why did God take my child or loved one? You get my point. We all have tragedies that happen in our lives and in our hearts and minds we know that God could have chosen to prevent them from happening; but didn’t.

Why did God watch the Roman soldiers beat Jesus Christ body to a point where it was unrecognizable?

Why did God allow Jesus Christ to be blasphemed, spit upon and tortured by the people of Jerusalem?

Why didn’t God come down and save His Son when he was hanging on the cross?

Well, these are easy questions to answer, right? God chose not to save Jesus Christ from this death because through this death He was creating a pathway to heaven for all of mankind. There was a purpose to God’s choices then and there is a purpose to His choices in your life. We have an infinitely small capability to comprehend the magnificence of God’s sovereignty in life. His will is going to be done, whether we like it or not. You aren’t going to change God’s plan for humanity. Rather, you and I need to change to better understand His plan and how we align to it.

Everything has a purpose. A death, a divorce, a lost child, a broken heart, a violent abuse case; they all have the potential to lead to something great for God if we are willing to seek His counsel, love and comfort through the pain. As Jesus told the disciples, regarding the blind man, some things happen so that the acts of God might be revealed through the inflicted person. How are you using your inflictions and tragedies in life as a testimony for the greatness of God? If not, then perhaps today is the day you should start.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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Thursday, April 11, 2013

For His Glory

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ” – John 9:1-3

It was a tragedy that brought them all to their knees. The man (a Pastor) was at his church sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the poorest of the poor living in huts in middle Nigeria. He returned to find his family had been attacked and left for dead. His wife and 3 of his 5 children all died that day while he was doing the work of the Lord. (link to story) Where is the justification, where is the reasoning behind this cruel act of violence against him? Some things are unexplainable when we try to comprehend them with our own eyes and justify them with what we see before us. Do we dare to question the authority of God to use a tragic event to bring another lost soul to the point of salvation and eternal life? Really? You want God to explain Himself?

Do you have that right? The right to ask God why something happens. God is sovereign and all things are under His infinite wisdom. When a life is brought into the world there is a God ordained purpose for that life. I will not begin to understand the reasoning behind the sadistic, cruel and heartless acts of some people against others. I question the compassion, the basic instinct of loving one another, the simple understanding of right and wrong; but I have no right to judge that they are not part of a greater plan. For I did not create the oceans and tell them where to stop. I have never spoken light into existence and placed stars in the heavens. I could not create a blue whale from nothing, nor any other of the millions of species of animals known and unknown on this earth. I could not have created a quark, nor could I have created the plants without first having a seed or sapling to draw from.

Jim Elliott, at the age of 29, traveled into the bush-land of Ecuador in the 1950’s to bring the gospel to an ancient tribe of Waodoni’s. Despite language barriers and cultural obstacles he began attempting to reach the Waodoni and seemed to be making progress with a few, before his final trip on January 8, 1956. After landing his plane along the river, he and the four men with him were attacked and killed by Waodoni warriors. It was a brutal death of five men that were serving God with everything they had at their disposal. To many of the family and friends, I’m sure there was resentment with God and anger towards His lack of compassion and mercy on this situation. But, to a few family members, Jim (and the others) died doing exactly what God called them to do. Jim’s wife, Elizabeth, and Steve Saint; the son of Nate Saint - another man killed with Elliot; continued in this mission of reaching the Waodoni tribe of Ecuador. Fifty years later, in 2006, a movie hit the big screen, End of the Spear, which documented the brutal attack and killing of these men. It also pointed out the importance of the work of Jim Elliot, the other four men, Elizabeth and the Steve Saint; which resulted in many of the Waodoni tribe converting to Christianity.

The most amazing fact is that one of the men in this movie was none other than Mincaye Enquedi, who happened to be one of the 10 warriors who killed the evangelists back in 1956. Mincaye’s life was miraculously changed because of this event, and he became one of the church elders and preachers to the Waodoni tribes for the last 50 years. As a result many have come to know the truth of God’s Holy Word because the lives of 5 men were taken brutally. In 1956, there is no way for someone to have looked at that situation and realized everything that God was going to do with the tragedy. Now, thousands and tens of thousands have been impacted for the Kingdom.

God does not need to justify anything to you nor I. He is sovereign and sees so much clearer than we believe we can see. Find comfort in knowing that He is bigger than any obstacle or tragedy you have come upon, and that He will use it for His good. You may never live to see that day, but you can be assured He will receive the glory in do time.