Do you think God calls our bluff?

[anytimequilter]

I don’t mean to sound audacious, but do you think God calls our bluff? Maybe I am not expressing it the best way.

We all have wants and desires and God knows this. Sometimes I wonder if he says “Ok I hear you, and I agree that would be a good thing. But to get there you will have to …” I guess I am lead to this thought because I read a book once that compared the kingdom of heaven to a banquet… we are invited but its up to each one of us to do what needs to be done to get there or even decide if we don’t want to go. Make sense? any thoughts?

 

[GEddie]

I don’t mean to sound audacious, but do you think God calls our bluff? Maybe I am not expressing it the best way.

We all have wants and desires and God knows this. Sometimes I wonder if he says “Ok I hear you, and I agree that would be a good thing. But to get there you will have to …” I guess I am lead to this thought because I read a book once that compared the kingdom of heaven to a banquet… we are invited but its up to each one of us to do what needs to be done to get there or even decide if we don’t want to go. Make sense? any thoughts?

I can’t really answer your question.

I do think that if we are bluffing God in our life, we need to repent. Human life is not a card game.

ICXC NIKA

 

[anytimequilter]

That is why I wasn’t sure if I worded it correctly. I am not very good with words.

I don’t mean that we are bluffing God… as much as do we really want what we think we want?

Like we are fooling ourselves. Does God call us on how we are bluffing ourselves?

Are we willing to do what it takes… or are we just waiting for God to drop the presents in our lap with little or no effort on our end?

example: You want that new job with a better salary … BUT do you want to go finish your degree to get the job or will you work the extra hours or do you just want God to give the job to you without the work?

Does God put the job out there and say “its here waiting for you, but you have to get to this point”. You know pray to God but row towards the shore.

 

[Cricket2]

That is why I wasn’t sure if I worded it correctly. I am not very good with words.

I don’t mean that we are bluffing God… as much as do we really want what we think we want?

Like we are fooling ourselves. Does God call us on how we are bluffing ourselves?

Are we willing to do what it takes… or are we just waiting for God to drop the presents in our lap with little or no effort on our end?

example: You want that new job with a better salary … BUT do you want to go finish your degree to get the job or will you work the extra hours or do you just want God to give the job to you without the work?

Does God put the job out there and say “its here waiting for you, but you have to get to this point”. You know pray to God but row towards the shore.

I think God does let us try out some of our wants, but not as a bluff. One of my simpler examples is this: as a teen I thought being a teller would be a reasonable job and I would like that as a career option. So I applied for this position and got a job at a local savings and loan.

It took about 2 weeks for me to realize that this was not the job for me. I hated it. I soon found out that dealing with other people’s money was a very ugly business because folks can be absolutely rude about their money. I don’t mean reasonable concern or questions, I mean snotty and uppity, nasty and cruel.

I had to stick out this position until I could find another job and that took almost two years. I learned a lot about waiting for things, dealing with unkind people, not to mention some things about the financial world that were really disgusting. But, oddly enough this job also, in time, allowed me to have an opportunity to meet two people who had bullied me in school at a horrific level. Both were female.

They had to come to my window for service, and now they were young adults. Both asked me the same question: “Do you remember me?” All I said was yes, and I was especially kind to them. I know for a fact they could not help remember what they had done to me, and the fact that I never told on them or mistreated them in return. God had used this job as a means of allowing my own act of forgiveness to come full circle too me and them. Both were very polite and kind too me, and I considered this episode as gift from God for them and me.

So God does allow us to test the waters and in that we gain knowledge and opportunity to see his will more clearly.

 

[anytimequilter]

Cricket2 - thank you for your reply. That was a nice example of how you learned about life even if it were not actually God’s will for you to have that job. God helped you to learn and grow from that experience (not all people do learn and grow from their experiences - so good for you)

I suppose I am at the point where I am trying to discern God’s will… and as you know that is not so easy.

So if God allows us to go off on our whims and wants (as we know He does, because we have free will) how do we know when something is our own hearts desire or if it is God’s will for us?

I know that is the age old question… but the more serious you are about that the more you want to consider how to separate your will from God’s.

I get the basics, if the act will cause you to sin then its not God’s will. But there are things that are not bad, but may not be God’s will.

Suppose you are a single guy and you like church A over church B. Both are fine choices for a church, but God has a certain goal for you at church B. So if you go to church A, while it is not a sin, you may end up missing God’s plan.

Make sense?