God Did Not Create Suffering

PRAY OVER THIS

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

 

PONDER THIS

Here’s the faulty logic many people follow: “God is the author of all things. Evil, pain, and suffering is ‘something,’ so God is the author of evil, suffering, and pain.” That’s not the right argument. Here’s the argument: God made everything, and He made it perfect. When God finished, God rested. God said, “It is good.” He made man. He made man perfect, but He made man perfectly free. That is, He gave man a choice.

Why did God give man a choice? Because God wanted something from man that is unique, special, wonderful, and glorious. He wanted man’s love. He wants you to love Him. That’s the highest good—to love God and to love one another, for God is love. Now, why didn’t God just force us to love Him? Well, forced love is a contradiction in terms. There’s no such thing as forced love. Love must choose. For lovers to choose to love, they must be able to choose not to love, or else it’s forced love, and it’s not love at all. So, God has given us a choice.

How do you express your love for God?

Have you ever blamed a hard situation on God? Reflect on that situation and how you might view it differently.

PRACTICE THIS

Spend some time thanking God for the freedom He gives us to love Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Make Smart Choices?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“… for whatever is not from faith is sin”

Romans 14:23

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

What is this verse saying? That any action not motivated and done by complete faith in God is sin. Anytime you do anything you’re not absolutely confident is God’s will for you to do, if you have a doubt about doing that thing, whether the thing in and of itself is right or wrong, you’ve sinned.

A man was in the back bedroom getting dressed. His wife was out in the living room talking with a friend. He yelled out, “Is this shirt clean enough for me to wear?” Without hesitation, she said “No” and went on talking.

After a while he came out, buttoning up another shirt. He asked, “How did you know that shirt wasn’t clean without looking at it?” She said, “If you had to ask, it wasn't.”

That's what God is saying here: whatever you don't have confidence in (i.e., “is not of faith”) is doubtful. Leave it alone.

Often we wonder whether a course of action is right or wrong. Since we don't know absolutely, we do it anyway. But if we think it may be wrong, we should leave it alone until we're sure it's right. We ought to give God the benefit of the doubt. The old adage “When in doubt, don’t” is often a good course to follow.

ACTION POINT

When faced with a choice, ask: “Will this gladden the heart of God or grieve Him?” A good prayer for you to pray today is: “Lord, I want my heart to be grieved by those things that grieve Your heart and be gladdened with the things that give You joy.”

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers