"I am the LORD; if I say it, it will happen" (Ezek. 12:25, NLT).
"No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NLT).
"It is useless for you to fight against my will [kick against the goads]" (cf. Acts 26:14, NLT).
"I will tell you the future before it happens" (Isa. 42:9, NLT).
"Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I planned it, Now I have brought it to pass: (Isaiah 37:26, NASB--cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).
God has no backup plan in case the church is remiss to fulfill the Great Commission! But God's purposes are fulfilled regardless, and He cannot fail: "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand" (Prov. 19:21, ESV). God sees history as a sure thing, under His control and there can be no surprise. God does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all things, actions, and creatures, from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxy (cf. from the divines of The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646)!
There are no so-called fortuitous events, but only decreed ones, and the blind kismet of Islam is fatalistic and impersonal; both are unsuitable and unfit to our God. God oversees and superintends: "Can anything happen without the LORD's permission?" (Cf. Lam. 3:37). God need not figure the odds, because He reigns. "Only I can tell you the future before it ever happens" (Isa. 46:10, NLT). "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples" (Psalm 33:10, ESV).
We can see God's fingerprint everywhere: There is order, purpose, and design--He is "before all things and in Him all things consist" (cf. Col. 1:17). You may wonder if you have missed the boat for God's will, and you were left behind and will pay the price for the rest of your days: "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me..." (Psalm 138:8, ESV). "I cry out to God Most Hgh, to God who fulfills his purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2, ESV). The doctrine of Providence is largely ignored by preachers today, but knowing it gives proper orientation to God's sovereign plan for us. Never forget that God reigns, and is in control--"Dominion belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations" (cf. Psalm 22:28). There is no detail too minute or trivial that escapes His attention, and no problem too big for God to handle--every thing's small to Him! God is not our spectator! There are no flukes to history as His story!
God is never thwarted and frustrated by His creatures: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2, ESV). God took everything into consideration! God gets His way and does as He pleases! "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, ESV). "The LORD of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isa. 14:24, ESV). God isn't taken aback by us because He is pansophic and knows all--He doesn't just see the future, but controls it and plans it! God cannot fail nor make mistakes, because He has all power over His creatures, as well as creation itself.
We are part of some grand scheme of God, some chord that will vibrate into eternity, some intricate plan in which God is the main actor who appears front and center, we merely have roles in His play. There is nothing haphazard in God's plan, there's no happenstance, but all are come to pass of necessity according to John Wycliffe. There are no coincidences, and no chance events, but God even controls the role of the dice (cf. Prov. 16:33). As Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!" He doesn't have to because He also knows all that possibly could be and every contingency. His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom, because He wouldn't be completely sovereign then, and things could be up in the air and open to chance occurrence. But there is no chance event, because He doesn't merely reign as a do-nothing God, but rules on His throne. Fortunately, God deals in certainties, not possibilities or conjectures. Our future is thereby assured and determined as secure as His throne.
We are not worshiping our sovereign God, but at the altar of Almighty Chance when we don't recognize God's guidance of all events, "who works all things according to the counsel of his will" (cf. Eph. 1:11, ESV). Nebuchadnezzar cried out, "... [A]nd none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" (Dan. 4:35, ESV). The only reason one needs a backup plan is because of lack of foresight or power to follow through on your intentions--God knows all and is able to take all into consideration, and His omnipotence or plenipotence is able to have all power over His creation and manipulate it at will. God certainly governs in the affairs of men and orchestrates all history as His grand story of our redemption--the redemptive narrative.
God cannot fail and the prime example of this is how He defeated Satan on the cross by turning a seemingly evil and calamitous event into good and to bring Him glory. "Surely the wrath of men praise [God]' (cf. Psalm 76:10)--this is God's way of defeating evil. We can see from the crucifixion that God can work with the most diabolical of events (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28), the short-term evil for the long-term good, as He allows and permits them. There are no "accidents of history" and God means it for our good, when evil happens like Joseph told his brothers in Gen. 50:20, "... [Y]ou meant evil against me; but God meant it for good...."
We are all here for a purpose and that means we should find purpose in what we do, a life without purpose is a waste of time and trivial. "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..." (Acts 13:36, ESV). We are but vessels of God to be used for His glory and He gladly rewards us for what He accomplishes through us: "For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Romans 15:18, ESV). Indeed, "... God has done for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12). It is an honor to be used!
God leaves nothing to chance--He is sovereign over all creation, and what kind of God wouldn't be? Albert Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!" God works to accomplish His will through vessels of honor and dishonor, nevertheless, it's His will that is completed. God is not confined nor defined by the time-space continuum in which we are bound and He created, He sees what the future holds and is outside of our dimensions and can control them, meaning He can know all by virtue of His sovereignty and omnipotence and can control all by virtue of His omnipotence and sovereignty--they're distinguished, but not separated, meaning you cannot divorce these attributes!
Bear in mind God is "too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain Himself!" Newsflash: All is going according to plan! David says confidently trusting in God: "The course of my life is in Your power" (Ps. 31:15, HCSB). We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future! Soli Deo Gloria!
"No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NLT).
"It is useless for you to fight against my will [kick against the goads]" (cf. Acts 26:14, NLT).
"I will tell you the future before it happens" (Isa. 42:9, NLT).
"Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I planned it, Now I have brought it to pass: (Isaiah 37:26, NASB--cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).
God has no backup plan in case the church is remiss to fulfill the Great Commission! But God's purposes are fulfilled regardless, and He cannot fail: "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand" (Prov. 19:21, ESV). God sees history as a sure thing, under His control and there can be no surprise. God does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all things, actions, and creatures, from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxy (cf. from the divines of The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646)!
There are no so-called fortuitous events, but only decreed ones, and the blind kismet of Islam is fatalistic and impersonal; both are unsuitable and unfit to our God. God oversees and superintends: "Can anything happen without the LORD's permission?" (Cf. Lam. 3:37). God need not figure the odds, because He reigns. "Only I can tell you the future before it ever happens" (Isa. 46:10, NLT). "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples" (Psalm 33:10, ESV).
We can see God's fingerprint everywhere: There is order, purpose, and design--He is "before all things and in Him all things consist" (cf. Col. 1:17). You may wonder if you have missed the boat for God's will, and you were left behind and will pay the price for the rest of your days: "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me..." (Psalm 138:8, ESV). "I cry out to God Most Hgh, to God who fulfills his purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2, ESV). The doctrine of Providence is largely ignored by preachers today, but knowing it gives proper orientation to God's sovereign plan for us. Never forget that God reigns, and is in control--"Dominion belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations" (cf. Psalm 22:28). There is no detail too minute or trivial that escapes His attention, and no problem too big for God to handle--every thing's small to Him! God is not our spectator! There are no flukes to history as His story!
God is never thwarted and frustrated by His creatures: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2, ESV). God took everything into consideration! God gets His way and does as He pleases! "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, ESV). "The LORD of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isa. 14:24, ESV). God isn't taken aback by us because He is pansophic and knows all--He doesn't just see the future, but controls it and plans it! God cannot fail nor make mistakes, because He has all power over His creatures, as well as creation itself.
We are part of some grand scheme of God, some chord that will vibrate into eternity, some intricate plan in which God is the main actor who appears front and center, we merely have roles in His play. There is nothing haphazard in God's plan, there's no happenstance, but all are come to pass of necessity according to John Wycliffe. There are no coincidences, and no chance events, but God even controls the role of the dice (cf. Prov. 16:33). As Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!" He doesn't have to because He also knows all that possibly could be and every contingency. His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom, because He wouldn't be completely sovereign then, and things could be up in the air and open to chance occurrence. But there is no chance event, because He doesn't merely reign as a do-nothing God, but rules on His throne. Fortunately, God deals in certainties, not possibilities or conjectures. Our future is thereby assured and determined as secure as His throne.
We are not worshiping our sovereign God, but at the altar of Almighty Chance when we don't recognize God's guidance of all events, "who works all things according to the counsel of his will" (cf. Eph. 1:11, ESV). Nebuchadnezzar cried out, "... [A]nd none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" (Dan. 4:35, ESV). The only reason one needs a backup plan is because of lack of foresight or power to follow through on your intentions--God knows all and is able to take all into consideration, and His omnipotence or plenipotence is able to have all power over His creation and manipulate it at will. God certainly governs in the affairs of men and orchestrates all history as His grand story of our redemption--the redemptive narrative.
God cannot fail and the prime example of this is how He defeated Satan on the cross by turning a seemingly evil and calamitous event into good and to bring Him glory. "Surely the wrath of men praise [God]' (cf. Psalm 76:10)--this is God's way of defeating evil. We can see from the crucifixion that God can work with the most diabolical of events (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28), the short-term evil for the long-term good, as He allows and permits them. There are no "accidents of history" and God means it for our good, when evil happens like Joseph told his brothers in Gen. 50:20, "... [Y]ou meant evil against me; but God meant it for good...."
We are all here for a purpose and that means we should find purpose in what we do, a life without purpose is a waste of time and trivial. "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..." (Acts 13:36, ESV). We are but vessels of God to be used for His glory and He gladly rewards us for what He accomplishes through us: "For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..." (Romans 15:18, ESV). Indeed, "... God has done for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12). It is an honor to be used!
God leaves nothing to chance--He is sovereign over all creation, and what kind of God wouldn't be? Albert Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!" God works to accomplish His will through vessels of honor and dishonor, nevertheless, it's His will that is completed. God is not confined nor defined by the time-space continuum in which we are bound and He created, He sees what the future holds and is outside of our dimensions and can control them, meaning He can know all by virtue of His sovereignty and omnipotence and can control all by virtue of His omnipotence and sovereignty--they're distinguished, but not separated, meaning you cannot divorce these attributes!
Bear in mind God is "too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain Himself!" Newsflash: All is going according to plan! David says confidently trusting in God: "The course of my life is in Your power" (Ps. 31:15, HCSB). We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future! Soli Deo Gloria!
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