| Cerek the Barbaric |
06-09-2003 03:51 PM |
Quote:
Originally posted by Timber Loftis:
Cerek, all respects but I don't think "self-empowerment" and God are mutually exclusive. I certainly think God helps those who help themselves. Self-empowerment is about a certain responsibility for your actions. It's about not whining when you're down and doing something about it.
It doesn't mean you have to go to the "might makes right" extreme.
But, I certainly don't think God would want us all to hang out on porches with our 40's lamenting our problems to him and doing nothing proactive about them ourselves. Trust in God mustn't extend to a decrease in self-reliance and taking responsibility.
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<font color=deepskyblue>You're right <font color=tan>Timber</font>. I didn't word my previous post very well. God DOES expect us to take responsibility for our actions. He also expects us to exercise our own judgement in most "day-to-day" decisions. Our decisions should be based on Biblical principles, but we aren't supposed to ask God to make every single decision for us.
Our pastor once told a good joke that illustrates how God expects us to use our common sense.
<font color=white> A town had received a lot of rain, causing the local river to flood. A man was trapped on the roof of his house when rescuers came by in a canoe. They offered to take him to safety but the man refused. "God will save me", he said. No amount of coaxing could convince the guy to get in, so the rescuers continued on their way. A little later, the water had risen much higher, leaving the man only one small spot to stand on. Another boat approached and again, the man refused to get in. "God will save me", he said. The water continued to rise until it was up to the man's chest. A helicopter flew over and lowered a rope ladder to the man, but he waved them off. "God will save me", he said. The water eventually rose over the mans' head and he drowned.
When he arrived at the Pearly Gates, he was understandably upset and demanded an audience with God immediately. God appeared at the gate and asked what the man wanted. "What do I want?" he asked increduously. "I want to know why I'm here. I had faith in you. I was POSITIVE you would save me, but you let me drown instead. Why didn't you save me from drowning?"
God said "I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you want me to do?"</font>
When I said self-empowerment and Christianity were mutuall exclusive, I was speaking primarily about those who say "If it's to be, it's up to me". While this is true to a certain extent, I also believe there are some situations where God wants us to let Him take control and guide our lives. For a Christian, it would be more appropriate to say "If it's to be, it's up to God..and me". I was taking "self-empowerment" to it's own extreme, where a person believes they are the ONLY authority with any control over what happens to them. Naturally, Christians believe that it is God who has the final and ultimate authority over our lives. That is why I said the two were contradictory.</font> |
