“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

Neither are your ways my ways,”

Declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth

So are my ways higher than your ways

And my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

I’ve been able to have a lot of conversations with non-believers.  I’m always amazed that most of them actually know quite a bit about the Bible.  It is usually the knowledge that they have about God and the Bible that actually makes them reject Him.  I’ll give you a few examples:

“Why does God send people to hell for not loving Him?  He seems egotistical to me.”

“God regretted that He made us (Genesis 6:7).  If He knew He was going make us to turn around and kill us, why did He make us? He drowned all but 8 people in the flood, even little children and animals.  Not a God I want to serve.”

I will just post this verse as is:  “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them.  Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camel and donkeys.”  — 1 Samuel 15:3.   Once again, not a God I want to serve.

Probably the most common one:  “God allowed someone to hurt me, didn’t save my loved one, or allowed a loved one to suffer immensely, He could have stopped it, He must not be as powerful as He says He is, or He just doesn’t care.” (John 11:21)

I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift.

There are actually plenty of verses that I don’t like in the Bible myself.  Here are two:

1. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you. – Matthew 5:4
2. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. – Colossians 3:23

Now, the first one is obvious, my initial reaction is to hate people who hate me.  However, the second one, Colossians 3:23, is probably my most life changing verse.  When I work like I’m working for Him, I am happy, fulfilled, and usually have energy to spare.  Yet, there are times when my flesh just wants to have the bad attitude, I don’t go to war with it and I just barely make it through the day doing as little as possible. There are times when I just veg out on media all day because I don’t want to think at all.  God doesn’t really give me that option . . . not if I want to follow Him.  That is so hard to accept sometimes, especially when I’m exhausted.

So what do we do when we don’t like what God says?  God answers all of these questions with an analogy:  Space : earth :: My ways : your ways.

If this is true, think about what an insignificant dot our planet is compared to outer space with its billions and billions of galaxies.  By comparison, the knowledge that I’ve amassed in my measly 41 years of existence is not even a grain of sand on the seashore.  Who am I to make a judgment about life and death?  Who am I to judge the God of this Universe who encompasses all of eternity and knows the end from the beginning?  What is my 70-80 years on this planet (hopefully) compared to eternity?  Who am I compared to Him?

God has a plan for us as individuals (Jeremiah 29:11), and a plan for all of us as a whole.  It is a wonderful and mighty plan to restore everything and make it brand new again.  It is a plan where sin will never affect us again.  There will be no more sickness and no more death.   I’m not going to type it all out, but read the first seven verses of Revelation chapter 21. Don’t you want in on that?  I sure do.  Then why in the world do I spend so much time worrying or being mad about things on this planet that are going to pass away anyway?

I guess I write all that to say this: as for me, God can do with me what He wants.  I’m not there yet, but imagine being able to say like Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”  (Job 13:15)  Even with the worst stuff happening to him that could happen to anybody, Job never let go of that faith in God.  Let us not look around us and say, “Why doesn’t God do something?”  Let’s look around us and say, “God is at work.  He knows what He is doing.  His ways are so much higher than mine.  What can I do to make a difference?”

Use me, Lord, and help me fulfill my part of your plan.  Oh how I long to hear those sweet words:  “Well done my good and faithful servant:  you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you a ruler over many things:  enter into the joy of the Lord.”(Matthew 25:21)

Later

Adam