About Me

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I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.
Showing posts with label soverignty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soverignty. Show all posts

Friday, March 15, 2019

God Has No Plan B

"'Have you not heard?  Long ago I ordained it.  In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass,.." (Isaiah 37:26, NIV; cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).  
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD" (Prov. 21:30, NIV).  
"The LORD has made everything for its purpose..." (Prov. 16:4, ESV).
"God doesn't play dice with the universe." --Einstein

Actually, God has no Plan A either!  We should ascribe to God the only Plan that is decreed, His Plan and since it will be fulfilled and God cannot fail, be thwarted, nor be frustrated, We don't call it Plan A, but simply God's Plan.  Job 42:2 says no plan of God can be thwarted!  THERE'S NO PLAN B OR BACKUP PLAN!   "The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand' (Isaiah 14:24, NIV).  He further says, "For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27, NIV).  Providence is in play and John Wycliffe was right on in his famous tenet:  "All things come to pass of necessity."

As believers, we must realize that God is working all things for our good and turns curses into blessings and the evil one cannot touch us.  We must exercise an act of faith and realize that God does work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform and that He is ultimately and always in control, both now and forever.  We should be in awe as God even causes "the wrath of man to praise Him!" (Cf. Psalm 76:10).  And our enemies may intend evil, but God works it out for the good and means to bless us in the long term.  The problem is that we don't see the big picture and are near-sighted spiritually.  Short-term evil can result in long-term good.  In fact, Wilhelm Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz saw this world as "the best of all possible worlds."  John Wycliffe would concur: "All things come to pas of necessity."

We must get on board with God to get the best will for our lives and for Him to bless us and that we don't have to settle or end up with second best.  God's will is done cheerfully and cooperatively in heaven and we are to pray for this on earth, according to the Lord's prayer.  In fact, His Plan will be accomplished with or without our cooperation!  God doesn't need us to do His Plan as if He needed anyone!  We have the privilege to participate in His blessings and provision, cooperating with Providence and proving God's good, pleasing, and perfect will (cf. Rom. 12:2). As believers, we ought to be committed to God's Plan and seeking to fulfill it at every opportunity and open door.  If we don't seek God's Plan or best for our life, God may say to us: "Okay, have it your way!" Then we will be in a state of disobedience.

In sum, God is not haphazard or arbitrary but has an intricate plan (life is no fluke!), of which we have the privilege to become partakers of in bringing Him glory as The Westminster Shorter Catechism states our purpose to be: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."      Soli Deo Gloria!