Responsibilities

[yesukristus]

I’ve come across people talking about responsibilities in a God-helps-those-who-help-themselves way, like “All that talk about putting trust in God is nice, but ultimately people are responsible for the way their lives are heading”. And this is in Malaysia, where individuality is not as much stressed as in the West. Depressing, huh?

 

[clmowry]

I’ve come across people talking about responsibilities in a God-helps-those-who-help-themselves way, like “All that talk about putting trust in God is nice, but ultimately people are responsible for the way their lives are heading”. And this is in Malaysia, where individuality is not as much stressed as in the West. Depressing, huh?

What’s depressing about it?

Chuck

 

[Rence]

I’ve come across people talking about responsibilities in a God-helps-those-who-help-themselves way, like “All that talk about putting trust in God is nice, but ultimately people are responsible for the way their lives are heading”. And this is in Malaysia, where individuality is not as much stressed as in the West. Depressing, huh?

Why would it be depressing? “God helps those who help themselves” is true. For example, when I pray to do well on a test, I’m not asking God to just give me the answers and help me choose the right answers. Well, okay, I am but more than that I ask the Holy Spirit to help me study well, to retain the information, and apply it correctly so that I can answer the questions. So, by studying, you ARE helping yourself and God will help you do do that.

It’s true that people are responsible for the way their lives are heading. Sure there are things we can’t control. One can eat as healthy as they can, exercise well, and do all they can to stay healthy, but sickness is part of life and we have relative to no control over it. But then, we can also choose to finish school, get a degree, and get a job in order to support ourselves. In that way, we also relative (and usually a lot of) control over the results.

What in particular do you find depressing about what you wrote?

 

[Marc_Anthony]

Sounds good to me.Sitting around and waiting for good to senddown angels to take care of you is unrealistic and won’t help. Ever heard the (now famous) story of the man in the flood? He sits there as friends yell for him to get in their car and escape before the water gets too high. The man says, “Don’t worry, God will save me.”

Soon the first floor is covered. He’s sitting on the second floor of his house as the water rises when another man comes in a boat. “Get in!” he yells. But the man shakes his head.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “God will save me.”

Soon enough, the top floor is flooded and he’s on the roof. A helicopter flies by, sees him, and asks him to get in. Once again, the man shakes his head no.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “God will save me.”

Of course the man drowns. When he’s before God in Heaven, he ask, “God, why didn’t you save me? I had faith in you.” And God responds, “You fool, I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter!”

Seems like as good an example as any of, “God helps those who help themselves.”

And of course we have President Kennedy’s famous line.

“We ask for His blessing and His help but we know that here on Earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”