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From: dcm@sfsup.UUCP (David C. Miller, consultant)
Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian
Subject: Re: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
Message-ID: <6309@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sat, 18-Oct-86 03:08:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.6309
Posted: Sat Oct 18 03:08:37 1986
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In article <6281@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Mike writes:
>
>I wonder why I have to act first, why can't He, He is God anyway.

Have you ever had someone do something for you without your asking them?
And then felt a bit miffed that they didn't let you know what they were doing?
Well, It's sort of like that in our relationship with God.  If He was always
"butting in" and fixing things unasked, I think 2 things would occur.

    1.  A lot of people would grow to resent His "interference".

	Sort of the way a teenager does when his or her parents lay down
	the law.  More often than not the person being helped is not
	necessarily in a position to understand that what has been done is
	for their own good.

    2.  The people that didn't would come to depend on His divine intervention.

	I sure we have all encountered this or at least seen it happen to
	someone else.  The problem is that man is basically greedy and lazy.
	I've heard many a teenager praying something like, "Dear God, please
	help me pass this test," when they haven't even opened the text book.
	This brings up the same Catch-22 as above.  What if something that
	we expected God to do wasn't in our best interest?  I suspect a lot
	of people would be crying, "if God loves me why didn't he...."

Also, don't forget that we've been given free choice.  God's not going to
interfere where he hasn't been asked.  Plus, going through things instead
of around them is a good learning experience.  I'm sure Mike learned something
through this experience.

>What strikes me thru all this is something I already know, but wish was
>easy to live, so I fight it - God wants me to know what I want, and to know
>I can depend on Him to answer, provide and open the things I need in life.

Sigh, it is hard.  We always seem to fight so against what is best for us.
I guess that's just part of life on Earth.  It is however refreshing to
remember that "My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches
in Glory" and that He causes "all things to work together for the good for
those that love the Lord."

>
>God Bless,
>
>Mike Andrews (PTL)

Maranatha!
Dave Miller (ihnp4!sfsup!dcm)

[I received two other attempts at postings today. Unfortunately the bodies 
 of the messages were empty.  Both of them were via seismo, with which we
 have been having horrible communications problems.  I sent mail to
 the original authors, but I am afraid it may not get through.  Hence
 this note.   --clh ]