Once again I am faced with the question… What should I write about? I don’t have anything helpful to say right now (and then I proceeded to write the post below 😆). The world is chaotic, it always has been, it always will be. Being a history major has helped me to see the world in a different way. And because of my faith, I see God’s work throughout it. I wish I could say I see God in every point of history, but I’m only human. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least try.
The same mindset can be used in the present. There are so many things I wish God would just change, right now. But… He hasn’t. I don’t know why, but I’m trusting that everything will be okay. After all, He works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
I bet you’re thinking it was just “He works all things together for good.” It’s incredibly important to read the Bible for yourself. Read Romans 8:28 if you don’t believe me. And while you’re at it, read I Corinthians 10:13. This is the famous verse people misunderstand as the idea that God won’t give you more than you can handle. If we all believed that, we’d be in so much trouble.
God does give us more than we can handle because we aren’t meant to handle it. We’re meant to cast all our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7). We’re meant to rely on the strength of Jesus (Philippians 4:13). That’s another verse that is often misquoted. I mean, it’s incredibly satisfying to think, “I can do all things,” but that’s not what the Bible says. Just like the quote “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is nowhere in the Bible. It was coined by Benjamin Franklin (who was not a Christian, by the way). And the famous line Abraham Lincoln is known for, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” is actually a Bible verse (Mark 3:25)!
All this to say that people often twist the truth and fail to look at things from different angles. What if we all decided to fact-check things for ourselves? What if we learned to forgive as the Lord forgives? What if… I can go on and on. But if you believe in the Bible, and pursue knowledge and wisdom, you know it’s rarely helpful to ask “what if?” The only times you should is when you’re weighing your next action: What if I took that job? What if I sent my kids to that school? What if I showed kindness?
The entire law of the Bible can be summed up in one statement: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27). Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, and all your basic human needs (food, shelter, and clothing) will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Know that the Lord is God; He created us, the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3). And as His sheep, we know He is a good shepherd (John 10:14).
They say the person whose Bible is falling apart usually isn’t. I know it’s not in the Bible, but I believe it to be true anyway. Take time to rest in God and read His word, to know that He is working, even if we can’t see it. For people look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7).
~Beth
Beth Freemont 