Looking to the greats?

[FutureAndAHope]

We have been reading about David in Samual. I thought I would make a general comment about God, and man’s heart. Firstly God does not make mistakes, if He has called you to a thing He believes you can do it, but we need to wisely consider the way we go about His call. Saul was not chosen as a mistake God said when Saul failed to rule wisely:

1Sa 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.


God said He had planned to use him in the same way as David, God said He would have established his kingdom over Israel forever. This was a reference to being of the lineage of Christ. Disobedience robbed Saul of this honour. This failure shows us how we, as people should never cease to rely closely on the LORD for His plan for us is great if we continue in Him, yet even the best man for the job can fail. David’s defeat of Goliath shows us another thing, God certainly knew David’s heart, that David had a heart of “massive” faith. David also had a heartfelt love for God, writing many of the Psalms. Yet now let’s look at the sad side of human nature, even the faith-filled, worshiping David fell into sin. Don’t be surprised if even the greats are not perfect, having fears, and doubts. But we should honour the faithful, and remain faithful in our own hearts.

God never overlooked sin, but we must remember that none of us will be perfect. Remembering to forgive one another in the same way Christ forgave us, not focusing on the “persons” faults, but allowing for growth as God forgave David:

Col 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

 

[David1701]

We have been reading about David in Samual. I thought I would make a general comment about God, and man’s heart. Firstly God does not make mistakes, if He has called you to a thing He believes you can do it, but we need to wisely consider the way we go about His call. ...

Without going any further in your post, it's necessary to point out that you have started with the wrong foundation. If God calls you to a thing, it is for his purposes; and he will work in your life, to bring those purposes to pass. It is absolutely NOT a question of God believing that "you can do it"!

Isaiah 46:9-11 (KJV)
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Without going any further in your post, it's necessary to point out that you have started with the wrong foundation. If God calls you to a thing, it is for his purposes; and he will work in your life, to bring those purposes to pass. It is absolutely NOT a question of God believing that "you can do it"!

Isaiah 46:9-11 (KJV)
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Not every action we perform is ordained by God. We are responsible to act when God asks us. When we see a need we are to meet it. Our positive actions can receive a reward. God would have us move toward His nature. We can't just say if it is God's will it will happen.

1Co 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

An example of this comes from my own life. I was out asking people to church, and I saw a woman with anorexia, I did not like asking women out to church, just because I was uncomfortable with it as a man. Yet God strongly impressed upon me to ask her to church. I was afraid and did not do it. When I did go out to church that night, low and behold, the woman who was speaking at church talked about how God freed her from anorexia. God's "will" was that I ask the woman I saw to church, so she could be ministered to. I was afraid, so the woman lost her chance that night. I also will receive no joy/reward from it.

 

[David1701]

Not every action we perform is ordained by God. We are responsible to act when God asks us. When we see a need we are to meet it. Our positive actions can receive a reward. God would have us move toward His nature. We can't just say if it is God's will it will happen.

1Co 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

An example of this comes from my own life. I was out asking people to church, and I saw a woman with anorexia, I did not like asking women out to church, just because I was uncomfortable with it as a man. Yet God strongly impressed upon me to ask her to church. I was afraid and did not do it. When I did go out to church that night, low and behold, the woman who was speaking at church talked about how God freed her from anorexia. God's "will" was that I ask the woman I saw to church, so she could be ministered to. I was afraid, so the woman lost her chance that night. I also will receive no joy/reward from it.

Do you notice that you have not backed up a single one of your claims, many of which are wrong, with Scripture? We are not to base our lives on opinions, feelings and experiences, but on the word of God.

Isaiah 8:20 (KJV) To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Not every action we perform is ordained by God.

Every action we perform IS ordained to happen by God!

Eph. 1:11 (WEB) in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will;

Since you do not believe that everything that happens is worked according to the counsel of God's will, you also, logically speaking, cannot give thanks for everything, since you don't believe that everything is from the hand of God. Yet we are commanded to give thanks for everything, in Scripture.

Eph. 5:20 (WEB) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

We are responsible to act when God asks us.

Yes, of course (but do you understand that "responsible" means "accountable", not "able to respond"?), but this is a different issue. Also, God usually tells us to do things; he rarely asks.

When we see a need we are to meet it.

Not necessarily. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit, not presumption. There all kinds of scenarios in which we might think that fulfilling a perceived "need" would be the right thing to do, but we never have the full picture, and God does.

Our positive actions can receive a reward.

Only if they are fruit of the Holy Spirit (i.e. not originating from us, but from the Lord).

Gal. 5:18-23 (KJV)
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

God would have us move toward His nature.

No: God makes us born again, giving us a new heart/spirit. This is not something we do, or ever could do.

Ez. 36:26,27 (KJV)
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

We can't just say if it is God's will it will happen.

God uses means to his ends, so this is somewhat right; but, I have the strong suspicion that you think that God depends upon us to bring some of his purposes to pass, which is nonsense. I hope you don't think such blasphemous rubbish!

Pro. 21:1 (KJV) The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

The correct heart to have is, "Not my will but yours be done, O Lord.".

Luke 22:41,42 (KJV)
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

1Co 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

Yes, everything we teach, or do, that is led by the Holy Spirit, endures; and God will graciously reward us, as if it were from us; but that's not what you meant, is it?

An example of this comes from my own life. I was out asking people to church, and I saw a woman with anorexia, I did not like asking women out to church, just because I was uncomfortable with it as a man. Yet God strongly impressed upon me to ask her to church. I was afraid and did not do it. When I did go out to church that night, low and behold, the woman who was speaking at church talked about how God freed her from anorexia. God's "will" was that I ask the woman I saw to church, so she could be ministered to. I was afraid, so the woman lost her chance that night. I also will receive no joy/reward from it.

There are two different categories of "God's will":

1) God's preceptive will (what he tells us to do and be, in his precepts)

2) God's determinative will (what he determines to happen)

To give you a very clear example of the difference between these different wills, take the Lord's crucifixion. This was utterly against God's preceptive will, in just about every way imaginable; yet, it was his determinative will (he pre-determined it to happen, via the actions of evil men).

 

[FutureAndAHope]

In regard to:

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God appears to have a plan for us, one written down before we were born (Jer_1:5, Psa_139:16). But our actions determine the pathway through that story (2Sa 12:7-12, Jer 15:19, Jer 18:10).

So when we come to Christ God has plans for us, plans to walk in. But temptation can derail that plan.

Jas 1:12-17 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

It is our responsibility, not God’s to avoid temptation.

We make ourselves fit for God’s usage by “cleansing ourselves” (obviously with God’s help) from sin.

2Ti 2:19-22 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.


It is also our responsibility to walk in the good works. God empowers us to do certain things, other things He requires us to work together with him. We see a rather sober warning in the following scripture when God is asking the prophet to do something and he does not:

Eze 33:6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'

It was said to David “because you” have done the following will occur. So too with us, our works direct us through God’s story.

2Sa 12:7-12 Then Nathan told David: You are that rich man! Now listen to what the LORD God of Israel says to you: "I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife. "Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see."