Leonidus

If GOD wants me to have something nothing can stop from having it.

If I receive something from GOD and it can only be given by GOD with accordance to his will. There are some people around me says that I got it because I had a lucky chance / a random shot, not through skill. What would I say to them?



Assume there is poor guy called “X” and there is rich guy called “Y”. The Rich guy worked hard for his money (but we don’t know how faithfully he earned his money, nevertheless…). The rich man is a billionaire and he is a neighbor of the poor guy.

The poor guy wins a lottery ticket and he also becomes a billionaire. When the rich man heard about it he got jealous. Because he earned money but the poor guy won large sum of money suddenly. So there is a passive conflict between those two neighbors. The rich guy started to make stories about the poor guy about how poor he was before he won the lottery…etc all to put him down socially. The rich guy even says that he worked for his money and the poor guy had luck and by a random chance he became a billionaire.

What should the poor guy say to the rich man?

Boanerges

Better luck next time- LOL! I wouldn't worry about what confused people say as long as I know I am pleasing God. By all means be loving and gracious though.

Banarenth

Where did he get his start? Was he born poor and literally worked his way up in society and properly invested what meager earnings he had until he was eventually rich? Or is it "Old money", which really just means that he won the lottery at birth. Even if he was only born into a "moderately rich" family and worked that into millions, it's still not the sweat of his brow that earned the money, but the forethought of his parents, or grand parents, or great-grandparents.

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simba

Keep in mind that everything comes from God, and nothing happens without his knowledge. The rich and the poor in your story are both servants of God, even though they may not be children of God, allowing His will to be accomplished. Even Satan himself cannot do anything to anyone without permission from God (Job and Luke 22:31). Nebuchadnezzar, the Philistines, the Pharoh with Moses, Goliath, Pilate, all are used by God.

JCepc

This comment is in response to simba's message. Yes, God knows all things that will happen in the future. That does not mean He ordained the evil things that will happen, or that He approves of them. God is a God of love; He creates love and not evil. Though I do agree He allows and puts-up with evil people, and in rare occasions He capitalizes on them to the benefit of His people, and to the detriments of those who say they are His, but live like the devil.

Romans 9:17. "For Scripture says to Pharaoh: I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Verse 18 is one to be pondered. The word hardens, I believe was not the best choice; knowing our God, a better word would have been stubborn. What I mean, when Pharaoh continued not to let the nation of Israel go after all the horrendous plagues brought on by God through Moses, only a man out of his mind, or one who is being manipulated by God would continue to be stubborn. I say this because my God does not create evil. Repeating, although on rare acccasions, God does allow evil to fullfils His purpose.

The New Testament does not mentions anything about God doing this sort of approval of evil so that good might result. In fact the very opposite: Romans 3:8. "Why not say--as we are being slanderously reporting as saying and as some claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved."

Since God knows the future, this can be a touchy topic for us humans. But, one thing which never changes: God hates evil, and that is what the future is all about.

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Sam Cincotta
http://exposing-pseudo-christianity.org

violet

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Kevin

The poor man should rejoice and give God all the glory. He should tellthe rich man that although we sometimes do not deserve anything, God can bless us when and how he pleases.

He should definately tell the rich man that it was Gods work and not his own doing. If the rich man remains jealous then the poor man should forgive him and pray for him.

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Isa 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

simba

JCepc,

Yes God is love and hates evil, but He is also Holy and just. When you state the God does not ordain the evil that will happen, leads to a couple of thoughts, (though I do not disagree with that):

1. Does anything happen outside of God's Will?
2. Is there somethings that God does not control, or choose to go out of His control?
3. Is what we deem as "evil" really Gods judgement, or loving compassion? (Point of View)

For example:
God was in total control of Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. I heard many say it was evil what God did by preventing (making stubborn) Pharaoh to let the Israelites go then punishing the Egyptians for it. But once we see the whole plan, it was Holy and Just judgement on the Egyptians who rejected God and worshipped idols.

Then I hear that it was not nice of God to allow the Pharaoh to punish the Israelites while God did not allow Pharaoh to let them go by making him stubborn. Knowing God's plan from Scripture, we see this as loving and gracious of God to bring them back to Himself.

God was in total control of Joseph's brothers when they threw in the well and sold him to slavery. This would be what we would see as evil, and say why would God allow that to happen. But looking at God's plan as told through Scripture, we see that God was in total control of the entire situation. In fact, God planned for it all to happen (Genesis 50:20), and it was a good act; a loving and merciful act for God's people.

What I am getting at is what we may see as an evil act, may actually be a loving act of grace and mercy, that God has done to bring more people back to Himself. Nothing happens outside of Gods Will, even though we do not understand it.

Proverbs 16:4
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Romans 8:28 -
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to HIS purpose.

Boanerges

God has a perfect will- His desire for us, and He gives us multiple admonitions to take that path.
God has a permisive will- He allows us to choose our direction.
Example:
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
One choice is His perfect will and one He will permit.

Whirlwind

The poor guy, same as the rich guy, should mind his own business.

When we're praying for blessings, one eye shouldn't be continuously open to see if the person next to us is receiving more blessings than us. God gives accordingly.

No matter how much money they have, the rich guy needs to learn that he should speak kindly of all of his neighbors; and love them like he would love himself.

You can have all the money in the world, but you can never buy a church. Sounds like both the rich and the poor guy need to find one immediately.