Think about this statement. How often have we been "offended" by what God allowed to happen to us? We are offended when we do not receive what we expect from God. We expected a perfect marriage. When our spouse revealed his/her character flaws and the marriage led to a divorce or perhaps infidelity, we were mad at God. Some of us never met our Prince Charming and we remained single for our entire life.
We expected obedient children who turned out just as we had planned for them to be. If our kids rebelled against us, we were shocked that it happened to us and not someone else. Even after praying for a miracle, that child is still wayward and so we assume that God does not listen to us anyway.
When a loved one died, we were tempted to turn away from God totally. Maybe we outwardly did not turn away but inwardly we decided it was safer to not put our whole trust in him. It could have been the way that our finances turned out to be so much less than we needed and God must have not been powerful enough to rescue us.
It may be that you lost your job and wonder why God did not prevent that from happening. It is hard not to get offended by God's plans for us when life is tough, really tough.
There is a great story in Matthew 11:2-6(KJV)
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Do you grasp what is happening here? John had given his whole life to pave the way for this man. John was thrown in prison and he must have wondered if this was all a bad joke. Why are things turning out this way? I love the language used in The Kings James
Version,"And blessed is he who is not offended because of me."
Which brings up the million dollar question…are you offended by God's ways? We put such a premium on our "deserved" happiness that we lose sight of the big picture. God is gracious and kind and can be trusted with our lives. This story reminds me that my happiness should not depend on my circumstances. Jesus said, "Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
We expected obedient children who turned out just as we had planned for them to be. If our kids rebelled against us, we were shocked that it happened to us and not someone else. Even after praying for a miracle, that child is still wayward and so we assume that God does not listen to us anyway.
When a loved one died, we were tempted to turn away from God totally. Maybe we outwardly did not turn away but inwardly we decided it was safer to not put our whole trust in him. It could have been the way that our finances turned out to be so much less than we needed and God must have not been powerful enough to rescue us.
It may be that you lost your job and wonder why God did not prevent that from happening. It is hard not to get offended by God's plans for us when life is tough, really tough.
There is a great story in Matthew 11:2-6(KJV)
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
Version,"And blessed is he who is not offended because of me."
Which brings up the million dollar question…are you offended by God's ways? We put such a premium on our "deserved" happiness that we lose sight of the big picture. God is gracious and kind and can be trusted with our lives. This story reminds me that my happiness should not depend on my circumstances. Jesus said, "Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
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