The Providence of God Romans 8:31

The Providence of God  Romans 8:31

In the fall of 1621 the Pilgrims and the Indians held a feast together. What we celebrate as Thanks giving day, was founded after a year  of great tribulation.  Out of the 102  Mayflower passengers  50 died that first winter.  By spring only 4 of the original 14 adult women remained alive. This celebration with the Indians was a thanks to God for the first harvest in Plymouth Colony.  Less than one month after the 3 day long celebration of their harvest a ship arrived from England. The colony had not been notified of its voyage, and it took them by surprise. The name of the ship was "The Fortune".  Merchants who sent this ship, with out provisions for the return trip, expected not only stock for the crew, but payment  that had be agreed upon by the Pilgrims.  They loaded down the ship with furs and pelts. I imagine that this was a sacrificial payment. Immediately the ship set sail to return to England.  Their meager rations that had been stored for the coming winter now needed to be shared with the 37 new settlers.  Was this just “luck” or providence?

Fortune is defined in English as;
A – Luck  =   a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person's controls or
B – Wealth  = an abundance of items of economic value

The Puritans along with many other groups of Christian faith would often view circumstances as 2 distinct things;

A -"general providence"which refers to God's continuous upholding the existence and natural order of the universe.   B -"special providence" refers to God's extraordinary intervention in the life of people.

As I read this history I thought of how "God cannot stop loving us". He cannot lie. I believe in his his promise for his providential care for us: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 NKJV

Back in the 1900’s a teenage youth group was returning from a trip to Alaska. I heard that the group stopped to eat their lunch under a big spruce tree. Lightning struck the tree and  just one young girl died. Why her? I have asked Jesus so many times about this and other things that bring about the death of children and youth that are so innocent.  In a small town on the west coast a 19 yr old young lady, one who was a disciple of Jesus is murdered in broad daylight. Why God?  Did you see what was going on and did not intervene? Where were you when this happened? His word says: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13 NIV

 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31 KJV My understanding of this truth has been that IF God was on my side I would be victorious in the circumstance or a relationship. Who could be against me and win? It was just a matter of knowing if I was on Gods’ side or not. Victory could come in some way, temporal or spiritual.  Here on earth or in heaven.  Recently I have seen Romans 8:31 in a different light. I am not always going to be the winner in a temporal way. There are individual people or a government as a whole that are obviously enemies of God. They are antichrist’s and persecutors. Leaders like Pharaoh or Herod could not be in the position over Jesus unless Our Father allowed them to be there. What about Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao Tse-Tung, and even the succession of leaders in North Korea  for 65 yrs. They have imprisoned   and tortured over 200,000  political prisoners! "Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." - John 19:11a NKJV
 Because God is for me, I can know that he is not going to allow something out of his permissive will to come to pass. My perspective is that Sovereignty allows "evil" people or other negative things to come to pass in our lives. Would he allow evil to be something that is for us?  Is this “providence”?  Would he allow evil to be something that is for us and not against us?  

As missionaries in Mexico  for 6 yrs we prayed for the teams or the young singles that wanted to come and serve with us for a week or two. Some committed for 3-6 months. We cried out for wisdom and love to come out of us to care for them. We prayed that if it was his will for them to be able come, then we would be able to lay down our lives for them, care for them if they got sick or injured.  We had faith that they would able to see what they were to learn from Jesus.  Often Marianne and I would be praying "Lord do not let them come unless it is your will. Slam the door shut if it is not”. We  trusted  for  “ divine providence”  to intervene in this circumstance.The reason why we often prayed this was not for our comfort or fear of sharing from our provisions.  There is also Gods promise for "general providence" which refers to God's continuous upholding the existence and natural order of the universe.  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 NLT 

When Marianne and I met we were married in 1980.   We became ”one flesh”  and some would say it as just “luck” and some good fortune that we met. I believe we have been joined together by divine Providence, to be joint heirs in the gift of Life. Author Thomas Vaillancourt's writing on the subject has considered a wide scope of quotes on the subject.

http://www.postersfromtheheart.com/essay_pages/divine_providence.htm


In 1735  John Wesley crossed the Atlantic to  the Georgia colony by ship. When a storm rose up he became quite frightened.  He noticed the 25 Moravian Christians making the same journey. They were calm despite the rough seas.  They spoke to him an explanation of the peace he could see them expressing. This caused him to think about his own inner peace. The storm was not bad luck. He made passage with others who had a spiritual faith that he had yet found.  The Providence of God brought his peril and their peace together. It exposed his lack and also provided him with a paradigm shift in his faith.

Back in the 90's we were in fellowship with an elder and his wife that we really looked up to.  Their son who was in a wheel chair all his life kept them home bound. They had great vision for missions and ministry.  This child who had come into their life held them down in the same  house and membership in the same little church for nearly 30 yrs.  They were questioned, " is this illness because of some sin, or lack of faith of you  parents?”  The mother, who had become  a grandma, thanked God for this "handicap" that she and her husband had. She knew that better things were given to them through their commitment to stay home and care for a special needs son.  Their other sons went on to become missionaries and pastors. All the things that they were prevented from doing out there “somewhere” actually worked for their good. They had an incredible solid home life. They were examples of love and faith for other believers in their small community.  This couple received a little one who grew up with great joy and love. He came to them by the providence of God.

On their way to their first mission to live in Africa a middle age couple were waiting quite a while at the airport.  Close by there was a Menonite couple. As they took up conversation the younger couple shared that they had tried to live as missionaries in  another country and had to return. They were now embarking  to another location to live and try to serve again. They stated  “God has a purpose in all this." Even though they had failed on previous attempts, they believed that God knew it and his provident hand was with them all the way.

In our mission work we held our meetings on Saturday nights. This freed up our Sundays. At first we visited churches in the area and also traveled often to the city an hour away to attend a Calvary Chapel.  As time went on we grew accustomed to being home alone on Sundays. Our family really enjoyed a day without activities. Being home with together and not working or traveling was a good practice. But, we had become well in the region. Folks did not call ahead there in the villagers. It was like the USA culture and economy was like in the USA in the 40's or 50's  So, they would just drop in on any day of the week, but a lot more on Sundays  for they would not be working. Well, a visit in the villages was not just business for them and then, "we need to be on our way". They would sit and talk and the  family would all be conversing. Then if there was something of business or an item to be borrowed it was mentioned last. We found out that the longer the visit  the larger the a favor or and item with would be.  So I prayed that no one could pass through our gates with out the hand of God allowing it. We needed rest  and really needed quiet for the  family to be together.  So if some one came through our gate, we saw it  as opportunity to share Gods love and the gospel. Like the good ship fortune, we were able to see the visits as what Divine Providence allowed.
May we see Gods hand and his sovereignty over our lives and what happens on the earth.  May we not shrink back in our faith when things happen that we do not understand. May we trust that Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the world. G.W.

A Wise Heart Proverbs 23.15

A Wise Heart Proverbs 23.15

My Friend had a note to himself on the door to his shop, " Work harder" At the time he was managing a business that, at the time, had a potential of growing to annual income of 6 digits. How could he be saying to himself to work harder? I am not sure of all of the implications to the motto. I think that most of it was to be an example to his sons. To be faithful to his family. Even though the shop was grossing more than just a few hundred some days, and most of the time by noon, some thing of the work ethic was in moral fiber of my friend.

Mean while I had had returned to the U.S.A. From the slow lane, in a foreign country, like living back in time, spending most of the week in a small village of a few hundred people. Getting out a few days a week and doing 40 mph out on the four lane highway seemed just fine to me. Now I was trying to make a go of it, make ends meet, and earn an honest living. For me, $20 an hour, in the construction sites seemed like plenty, but we were having trouble making ends meet, and we were not even paying rent! Marianne started working part time, and that was humbling. We had always done well with my wages from the woods. I had very little understanding of the seismic shift that was coming to our economy. I found myself working Saturdays. I even stayed home from church a couple Sunday's to be able to get a few things done around our home, which at that time was only 2 travel trailers.

The Lord had spoken to me years in advance a word that I needed and still need as I just turned 50 this year.

" Work smarter, not harder." For those who know me, hard work has never been a stranger to me. But wisdom in business management has always been something that I could use more of.

This fall another word came to me from Proverbs 23:15

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; NIV

At first I took this to be some guidance in praying for my sons, for them to have wisdom, and for me to blessed with joy in seeing them succeed and enjoy the abundant life they have been promised in Christ. Today, after meditating on this and digesting the context, I can hear our Lord saying to me, " work smarter today, not harder, and my heart with rejoice over you, with singing!"

This summer I was in a real struggle to keep it together, mentally and emotionally. I was determined to work hard at paying down our debt. We are doing great in a few areas, and have never had struggles with a few of our accounts. By Gods grace we have never been late or behind on any payments. We have paid down certain loans, but one credit card keeps running up there. In July, we took on a few new cleaning contracts with our cleaning business. I had promised Marianne that I would quit working in the day, and only concentrate on the cleaning hours , so she would not have to work so much. Well, it did not happen. I worked my self to a frazzle, and debt did not go down. $30 an hour work kept coming in and I chose, not to say "no" except to a few really good big projects.

I have called it, " burning the candle at both ends." Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that he and his team worked night and day to not be a burden to the body there.¹ This is a great example of " spending and being spent"² for the sake of others being served in love and for the increase of faith in the hearts of Christs disciples, true?

May we each be led, as we know we are capable of doing, to serve one another with a pure heart. A mind that is protected by the peace that passes all understanding can be had for each of us, "today"; if we will give everything over to Our Father in Prayer. Look to see what he hands back to you on the to do list for today, and do not worry about the rest, ok? The following thoughts are describing more of what I have learned in the last couple months. May they be food for your soul. :) If there be anything note worthy of what Christ has wrought in me, all glory to him! G.W.

A Tender Heart An entry to my Face book wall, November 26^th 2011

Well, lately I have had a troubled heart. For a week, I was so stressed I did not feel safe driving. Yea, Greg, me having fears of being hit, or not able to concentrate enough so much that I was concerned that I might hit some one. I did hit a power pole and take my mirror off. AND locked the keys in my van 2X. Oh, well, its past and I am walking more humble than ever. Did you see the movie "Brave Heart"? Cool. What about all the broken hearts out there, anyone ever see one? I see them almost every day. Had one myself a time or two. The following is an excerpt from lesson 24 in the BLBible Institute course. I am learning from about 15 other teachers, some maturity and stability that I need in my own walk. A Tender Heart is what Jesus had³, and still has. I pass this on in hopes that it might encourage a few of my face book friends, and perhaps a family member or two also:

...maybe you have been betrayed by someone who you thought was a friend or a loved one. That hurts so deeply. Perhaps someone has undermined you, lied about you, or stabbed you in the back, who you thought was a strong supporter. Now, I am sure it has happened to most of us to one degree or another. If it has not, it will. It is just one of those guaranteed things.

But the question is: how do I react? How do I respond when I have been hurt, betrayed, or attacked? That is when it is the hardest to love. Do I harden my heart? I have been hurt so I want to harden my heart. Or do I become calloused and negative? If so, then God’s love is choked out. Do I become bitter, close my heart, or hold on to ill feelings? It is easy to do that, isn’t it? It is very natural, but it is not supernatural.

Jesus said, “As I have loved you, even so, love one another” (John 13:34). It is not a natural love. It is a supernatural love. If we become bitter, if we harden ourselves, if we get callused or cynical, even as pastors, then God’s love is choked out. It cannot flow. So the Lord wants me to run to Him. Only with His love can my heart be strong and yet tender at the same time. How do you keep a tender heart in this world? It is really easy to see how people get hardened in this world and how people get cynical or closed off. But with Christ, we cannot afford to do that because He has called us to love. We can keep a tender heart and yet be strong through the power of His love as He heals us.

Servant Leadership – Lesson 24 The Supremacy of Love by Wayne Taylor

1For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. - 1 Thessalonians 2:9 KJV

2And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. - 2 Corinthians 12:15 KJV

3 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

Are you Listening? Deuteronomy 30:8-17

Are You Listening? Deuteronomy 30:8-17

It was a Wednesday night, and there I was fumbling through my Bible as the worship team was leading about 20 of us in some really nice songs. I was about to share with our church youth group on "Hearing God". My note book had two pages of notes, but still there was something missing. Where was that verse at? " His thoughts are higher than our thoughts...." This verse and several others came to mind, as I struggled to be better prepared to share. Having enough material to talk for 30 minutes was not the question. The few times that I know that my thoughts were the voice of God in my head and the circumstances proved it were clearly noted down.

Conveying what was really on my heart, and being able to concord with God-s particular intent to communicate with this varied group was really my need. You see, I have been a poor listener over the years. With my parents, with employers and teachers. Hearing and understanding what is being said is one thing. Doing and obeying is the second part that fulfills the purpose of having ears in the first place.

So finally the moment came to get up and start speaking. Thank God for angels. I have never really met or seen the spiritual kind, but many of the human kind have helped me very much. A brother had sat down by me and quickly offered from memory the verse in Isaiah 55, about God's thoughts and ways. I was less nervous than ever, yet, as normal, not knowing just which way this message was going to go. Sharing in my own church with out my family felt odd. No one asked, "Where is Marianne?" She and one of our daughters were working. One son was talking his GED test and our youngest boy was in an college class. I talked a lot about God, and came up with a few good illustrations. Never have I felt so un-accomplished. As I spoke we covered the subject Inductively, especially the pitfalls and the basic ways that God speaks to us. Many folks said "Way to go" like I just finished a good ball game. But the Scripture declares, " what sorrow awaits you when all men speak well of you" NLT I know that great teaching alone is not enough. The real need is to connect with these young adults and disciple them. They will be the church of the next generation. I thank God for our Pastors, Ray and Julie, who are the coaches of a great ministry team to the youth. They broke into small groups to discuss this area of life and pray together. Meanwhile I was able to connect with a new visitor, one of my grey haired age.

What would you do if you were standing on the tracks and you heard a train coming? Any of us would say we would jump off or run away from the tracks. But, how many of us linger, or test the Lord, just to see the train first, or how many of us rub against the fence of boundaries that he has laid out for us in life? Other times we deceive ourselves into believing that God's outline for us is too hard to understand or not even attainable. Here is what the Lord spoke to the nation of Isreal about listening to Him:

"And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; " Dueteronomy 30: 8-17

I know that my Father had not worked this area in my own life as much as he desires. I left that meeting with more need to draw closer to him and be listening like I should. A strong desire has been growing to really let Jesus have his say in every area of my life.There are so many other voices are playing in my mind. The radio, the TV, the Klove loop, ect... Marianne shared with me the other night that the things that people have said over the years have echoed in here mind from time to time. There are accusations and criticisms from loved ones that have stuck on her for years. Jesus said," The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63b Are my words bringing life to others?

Jesus memorized scripture and quoted it. He used it to resist temptation, and it used it to reason with skeptics. He taught "new doctrine" that was always based on the intents that were already written. He pointed out that the purpose in studying was to know him personally.¹ Christianity is not a performance based religion. Its about relationship. Redemption is not achieved, especially in our acquiring knowledge about God. Any vital relationship requires two way communication. We work out our salvation², but "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints"³ is not a self improvement program, it's a gifted relationship. A friendship with Thee Almighty results in a godly, reverent, love and joy filled life.

Our Father has sent Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth. He will not speak on his own and lead us astray one degree from God's perfect will.⁴ May we hear that still small voice saying "This is the way, walk ye in it" ⁵ May we be listening when our Elders or parents say "I really don't think that is the best thing for you." If we are followers of Jesus, we will hear his voice.⁶ Whether it be spoken through Elders, angels, or the written word jumping off the page. Just keep reading and be familiar with things Jesus said, like "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life John 5:24 NKJV Then when real life events or relationship issues come up, we can know when our thoughts are His thoughts. Our Father's heart desire for us is that our choices will cause our ways to become his ways for our own good and for His glory. G.W.

1See John 5:39

2See Philippians 2: 12,13

3Jude 1:3

4See John 16:13

5See Isaiah 30:20,21

6John 10:27

A Good Song I want to sing to someone, thee only one.

Its not to late

Up out of bed this morning trying just to find out why
There's something wrong here, there can be no denying
One of us is changing
Or maybe we might just stop trying


And it's not too late, baby, no it's not too late
If we really try we can make it
Something inside is going to die
If we really try I know we can keep it alive.

It used to be so easy finding life with you
You were light and breezy and I knew just what to do
Now you look so unhappy and I feel like a fool

And it's not too late, baby, no it's not too late
If we really try I know we can make it
Something inside is going to die
If we keep on trying I know we can make it.

There'll be good times again for you and I
The right thing to do, is to stay together,
I'm glad for what we have and that our love is still alive

And it's not too late, baby, no it's not too late
IF we really try we can make it
Something inside is going to die
If we keep trying I know we can make it.

The Vision a song of 30 years ago

The Vision

A song by Greg Wilke

The moon rose over the mountain,

just as the sun went down.

Water flowed from the fountain,

and within the vision,

love was found.

Like a rainbow 'round the moon

Like a rainbow 'round the moon

your promises are forever

The clouds have faded away,

and I can see your love shin'n on me.

Like the drops of fall'n rain

Like the drops of fall'n rain

Your mercy surrounds me

Like the water fall'n down

Like the water fall'n down

your blessings are abundant

The moon rose over the mountain,

just as the sun went down.

Water flowed from the fountain,

and within the vision,

love was found.