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| Serving God
Today's thought is on what it means to serve God, inspired by the opportunity that I have to serve God at MCCC and at KWCAC for the next few years.
The question I ask today is, "Who should serve God? What qualifications do we need? What should we do to prepare? Is reluctance among leadership in a church about you serving there a sign that you shouldn't do it there (or at all) for the time being?" And to top it all off, I want to share about what serving God means to me.
Sources:
-Ortberg, John. The Life You've Always Wanted [Expanded Edition]. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.
Synopsis:
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Sometimes, we feel inadequate. We feel like we're not ready and that we're not capable of serving God in a particular role. This is God's response to us: "I know all about [your inadequacies]. It doesn't really matter much. For I will be with you...You are what you are--but that's not all that you are. You are what you are, but you are not yet what you will be. I will be with you." Of course, we have to be sure that it truly was God's calling in our lives in the first place.
Stay tuned for my "article"... | | |
| Welcome to my new blog!
It took my a long time to figure out what name I'd like to use for this blog. I usually don't use usernames other than "tchak", so it really made me try to squeeze out any creative fluids I have left in me. (Engineering tends to make your thought process logical and regimented.) To make matters worse, everybody already took all the cool names!
I decided to make a new blog to start fresh. In this blog, I will have a certain format: I will ask the question, try to answer it, and have a barebones synopsis. I will also provide links to the verses (via biblegateway.com) and their context for your convenience so you can verify the verse or at least see what it's talking about. I will also list sources (if applicable) so you can check on its credibility.
I just want to say that these thoughts (although self-screened and scrutinized) are free to be subject to public scrutiny, which I welcome openly. The purpose of this site is to provide a self-learning environment where I can explore different biblical topics and refine any thoughts or interpretation of facts or scripture (if necessary). | | |
| My First Throught
Today's thought is about how suffering works in terms of how God protects us from suffering beyond what we can't handle.
The question I asked myself is, "How does the concept of God allowing suffering to happen, happen? How do His tests go about? Can God cause suffering or is it always Satan?"
Sources:
-Our Journey, 2005-Dec-04
Synopsis:
-1 Corinthians 10:1-13 is not a very good reference to use when talking about how God limits our suffering
-God has authority over Satan and Satan must receive permission from Him before he can cause suffering in our lives
Many people refer to 1 Corinthians 10:13 [Context: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13] when they think about God's protection from excessive suffering. However, I think this is a weak argument. (I've done it in the past too, by the way.) Although the truths of this verse can be applied to suffering, the context that it's in makes it an unacceptable reference to use in arguing those truths since it's talking about temptation and falling into sin, not suffering. In fact, suffering isn't even mentioned.
However, as I mentioned earlier, the truths of this verse can also be applied to suffering. For example, I think that to some extent, what we must endure during our hard times have probably been experienced by others in the past. Also, it's true that God will not let us suffer beyond what we can bear and I think that He gave us friends (including Himself) for the purpose of helping us to get through hard times. In my experience, God sometimes gives us a friend for the purpose of relief from suffering. (I posted the story in the comments.) I also believe that some of our suffering is either used as a test or a warning sign of divergence from God.
On the other hand, it would be better to argue God's protction from excessive suffering by using the story of Job. In Job 1:6-12 [Context: Job 1:6-22], we can see God's authority over Satan. God allows Satan to test Job's faith, but we must realize that Satan must receive the Lord's permission before he can do anything to Job. Luke 22:31 [Context: Luke 22:31-38] also hints towards God's sovereignty over Satan and his desires to bring suffering upon us.
[To be continued...] | | |
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