"Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck. 6. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another."
There is a trite old joke that has been around for years about the man who told his friends: "I run things at my house....like the vacuum cleaner, the dishwasher, the washing machine, etc., etc." There is always a question about who is in charge? If you take the Bible seriously, you do not have any doubts about Who is in charge - God. "But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another..." The NIV translates verses 2-3: "You say, 'I choose the appointed times; it is I who judge uprightly.' 3. When the earth and all its people quake; it is I who hold its pillars firm." We think that we are in control. History tells us that we think we are in control. For example: Napoleon strutted across the stage of history in his time, thinking that he was in control, that is, until he came to Waterloo. Adolph Hitler strode across the stage of history, thinking that he was in control. But like all egomaniacs who have ruled on this earth Hitler met his "Waterloo" as well. To bring it home, we live our lives as though we are in control. James warns us about this in 4:14-15: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that." God has not made us automatons that we should have no will of our own, but part of the discipline of the Christian's life is to mesh our will with God's will. We do not do it perfectly, but we soon learn that we are better off in God's will than out of it. When God is in control of our lives, we will not walk down a path of roses, but we will be victorious in the end. The concluding fact is that God is in control of our destiny, whether we do His will or not. He is also in control of the destiny of our country and our world. Human authority comes and goes, but God's authority lasts through eternity. When everything comes to an end, it will be God/Jesus Who will reign. We shouldn't forget that as we walk through the trials and tribulations of this life. Bro. Joe
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|