Do you believe if something is “meant to be” that it will automatically just happen when the time is right? Or do you believe that we have to take matters into our own hands and make things happen by our actions? Here are a couple of definitions of the word destiny: 1) an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future; 2) the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events. Even though I never realized how I felt about this subject, now that I think about it I am realizing that I’ve always believed that if something is really “meant to be” then every choice a person makes will eventually lead them in the direction that will finally accomplish the event that was meant to happen. I know that many times when counseling my daughter when she’s had boyfriend problems, I have said to her “well, if it’s meant to be then it will happen.”
As a Christian, I can’t really separate things that are “meant to be” from the will of God. I think a lot of people use the words “destiny” or “fate” but Christians usually say “God’s will”. Do you think God automatically works out His will no matter what choices we make? It is all really mind-boggling to think about. I do believe that ultimately God will work things out for his purposes to be accomplished. What about the doctrines of predestination versus free-will? These are just some things that I think about sometimes and I would love to find out what others think about them.
Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Thankful Thursday
18 hours ago
8 comments:
I do believe that God will work things out for His will to be accomplished. However - our choices and decisions may mean that someone else gets the opportunity, blessing, etc. that could have been ours had we chosen to follow God's will and not our own.
Hope that's not too much rambling!
My thought is that there are some people who use "God's will" as a crutch. I won't get into divine will and permissive will because I'm not that smart, but I have seen too many go out do something wrong, suffer the consequences, then blame it all on God by saying it was "His will."
I completely believe that God will accomplish His will, no matter what.
I think if we chose to disobey, he may use someone else to accomplish it instead, and we miss the blessing.
Look at the story of Abraham - even though he made his own free will choices - and they were mistakes - God's will was still accomplished.
I believe completely that God is sovereign over everything and in predestination. I also believe completely in free will. How? Because the Bible clearly teaches both. It's not for me to understand - just to believe.
I have thought about all of this many times. This is a hard one for me.
Lori
Hmmm...this is a tough topic. I've seen people say that it's "God's will" when they're actually trying to force something to happen due to their own desires.
I've also seen people pray and fast like crazy, but they don't do their parts in making their goals come true. Of course if God doesn't will them to reach the goals, then they probably won't get there, but still they don't even try to manage the resources that God has given them well.
I think some things are predestined, whereas some things depend on our free-will.
I believe that God's "will" for our lives is for us to worship Him, read the Bible, pray, and trust him. His "plan" for us is what He wishes to accomplish through out obedience. But we can use our free will to stray from his "plan" for us. As was mentioned, Abraham and Sarah diverted from the plan but the mission was still accomplished. To me it's easier to use "will" and "plan" to signify separate entities.
Not being a Calvinist, myself, nor an Arminian, I KNOW that we have free-will and God is in absolute control. We need not focus on a man's logic (Calvin's or Arminius') to "worry about predestination/double-predestination, we need, instead, bow down to God the King. He will reward those who believe in Him. When, or how, one came to believe in Him is not our concern.
I had a very wise, missionary friend tell me once that she's learned that God actually has two wills for us. His Perfect Will and his Permissive Will. Sometimes we are like whining children and put Him in the position that He gives us what we'er asking for just to hush us up. That's his Permissive Will Eventually, though, after we've learned our lesson, the road will eventually lead (although it may take weeks, months, years)us to his Perfect Will. In the mean time, we've missed blessings, etc. that we'd have enjoyed had we just waited.
Blessings and hugs from "The Creek".
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