The main topic I will be discussing is the topic of free will and the fact that God is in control of our daily life. This topic is very central to how we view life and God on a day to day basis. This topic was bright to my attention by the movie the Adjustment Bureau.
First, I will begin my discussion my discussing the main Scripture references I see in this topic. These verses help you distinguish and sort out this topic of of God's Free Will in our life. They also show how we do have free will in some aspects but God is in control of others.
The main verse about this topic is Ephesians 1:4-5. This verse deals with free will in how God chose us before the creation of the world. The verse says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure his pleasure and will."
This verse describes how God chose us before the creation of the world. He knew certain things about us before we would even be created. It also reveals we have some measure of free will in deciding to follow Jesus but ultimately God has the greater plan and purpose.
Another verse that deals with these concepts is Romans 8:29-30. It says this on this concept, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." This verse also deals with the fact that God chose us before we had decided to follow him. It's almost like God knew what would happen in our life and what we would end up going through.
The last verse I will discuss in this post is Philemon 1:14. It says this on this topic, "but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be by compulsion but of free will." Paul was saying to Philemon that it was his willing desire to keep Onesimus with him. Paul inquires Philemon of his choice to give his slave Onesimus to him. He hopes that it is his desire to release Onesiumus to him.
The first chapter of Romans discusses how we did not choose God because of our sinful nature. Before we knew God we were consumed by our sinful nature and desires of our flesh. It says in verse 1:21, For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." This shows how we do not have to capacity or desire to choose God before we entered our life with him. He always choose us even before time.
This movie describes Matt Damon, a politician, who sees this girl randomly in the bathroom before his concession speech after he had lost. They kiss in a very quick way and she is chased by some people we would later find out are the Adjustment Bureau. A short while after he makes his concessions speech he gets on a bus and randomly sees the same woman again. Some would call this chance while others call this coincidence. The Adjustment Bureau said that this random event that occurred did not follow Matt Damon (the character)'s plan for his life by seeing this woman again.
The Adjustment Bureau was place to make sure things that were supposed to be in order happened. The Bureau has this set plan that has to happen in order for each person's life to be in correct order. Sometimes they are right, while other times they can guess wrong. In some senses, the Bureau could be compared to God. God wants this specific plan for our lives and at times we turn away from it.
All throughout the movie, the Adjustment Bureau does things to make sure that David Norris would not see the girl he falls in love with early in the movie (Elise). They burn her number that they gave him. Years later, David Norris sees (Elise) on the street and ends up re-connecting with her.
David Norris leaves her in the hospital when she was hurt while dancing because the Bureau said that their relationship would hinder her future plans of dancing. The Bureau says that somewhere (Matt Damon's character and Elise) are not supposed to be together because she takes him away from what he's supposed to be. Thompson said they gave humanity free will after the height of the Roman Empire but humanity brought the Dark Ages down. This led to the Renaissance Thompson says. One of the people in the Bureau that helps Damon finds out that there is a change in the plan where they are supposed to be together.
At the end of the movie, David Norris finds out she is marrying her ex boyfriend. Harry from the Adjustment Bureau helps David Norris get to the courthouse where Elise is getting married through these doors that the Bureau uses. David Norris finds her in the restroom and they go through all sorts of mazes before they are at the top of this building. David Norris and Elise kiss then Harry and the chairman head guys from the Bureau shows up. Harry then says something that stood out to me, he says something to the tune that we all choose our path in life though we may stray sometime we are always lead back to our path in life. Harry concludes the movie saying that the Chairman has a bigger plan of restoration of humanity in the world.
God's in control of our daily life. 2 Chronicles 29:11, says "Yours O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." God knows the paths we will take as evidenced by these verses above but he allows us some free will to choose our life if it lines up with his plans for our life. If it doesn't he will align us back to where to where he wants us to go.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Thorn in the flesh in my life
This blog post is about a frustration in my life that has been going on for quite some time. This frustration I will relate to a passage in the Bible when Paul discusses his Thorn in the flesh.
This Thorn/frustration in my life has plagued me since my high school years. It has been my Achilles heel wherever I go and whatever that I do. It is one of those where you just get so frustrated that you go crazy inside because it won't allow you do other things. Thorn in flesh is a very simple act but involves a lot of quick thinking. It takes a lot of reacting on the fly to things.
This Thorn in the flesh that I am describing is one of a problem dealing with my ability to drive myself. It has been a frustrating thing for me all of my life. It started my junior year in high school with a car wreck and then I had another wreck my senior year of high school. The wreck in the middle senior year of high school wasn't my self though. In between the first and second wreck I was really frustrated with my life though I ended up using my weakness as strength as Paul as in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Scholars debate what Paul's thorn in the flesh was. Some believe it could be the result of physical conditions such as an epilepsy, convulsive attacks, malaria,and Malta fever. Paul's thorn in the flesh also may be the result of an something to do with bad vision. This is due to the reference to Paul's writing in large print in Galatians 6:1. It is also discussed that Paul wrote the salutation to 2 Thessalonians 3:17 and 1 Cor 16:21.
Paul says this thorn was put in place in order that he not be conceited. He believes that it was used as an instrument for his faith.
In verses nine and 10 shows how God uses him in his weakness,he says in verse 9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "For when I am weak, then I am strong."
The apostle Paul gives us an example of how God used this frustrating thing in his life to grow in faith. We are the delight in these hardships and frustrating things that are thrown at us in our life. Paul was able to trust God in any and all situations.
God helped me my my strength in my weakness after I went through a hard time in my life at the end of junior year of high school before my senior year. He gave me the strength to trust in him again when I was going through a hard time in my life. God gave me the ability to trust in his power in my life again when I couldn't trust in him from the end of the spring that year to the summer of that year. I was before that time in a mood of depression and despair of not knowing where life will take me anymore. I wanted to be left alone before this awakening in my life occurred.
I still battle this thorn in the flesh today. It still frustrates me that I am not able to drive by myself. I have tried everything and it still has not worked out for me. I drove with a police officer while attending Alvin Community College. I drove with this women from a driving school in the Fort Worth area and did well for a while before my bad reaction time came back to hunt me.
The only to do really is to try to trust in God's plan for the future. That, God will use my weakness to help me grow in some way though it is a frustrating thing for me right now.
This Thorn/frustration in my life has plagued me since my high school years. It has been my Achilles heel wherever I go and whatever that I do. It is one of those where you just get so frustrated that you go crazy inside because it won't allow you do other things. Thorn in flesh is a very simple act but involves a lot of quick thinking. It takes a lot of reacting on the fly to things.
This Thorn in the flesh that I am describing is one of a problem dealing with my ability to drive myself. It has been a frustrating thing for me all of my life. It started my junior year in high school with a car wreck and then I had another wreck my senior year of high school. The wreck in the middle senior year of high school wasn't my self though. In between the first and second wreck I was really frustrated with my life though I ended up using my weakness as strength as Paul as in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Scholars debate what Paul's thorn in the flesh was. Some believe it could be the result of physical conditions such as an epilepsy, convulsive attacks, malaria,and Malta fever. Paul's thorn in the flesh also may be the result of an something to do with bad vision. This is due to the reference to Paul's writing in large print in Galatians 6:1. It is also discussed that Paul wrote the salutation to 2 Thessalonians 3:17 and 1 Cor 16:21.
Paul says this thorn was put in place in order that he not be conceited. He believes that it was used as an instrument for his faith.
In verses nine and 10 shows how God uses him in his weakness,he says in verse 9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "For when I am weak, then I am strong."
The apostle Paul gives us an example of how God used this frustrating thing in his life to grow in faith. We are the delight in these hardships and frustrating things that are thrown at us in our life. Paul was able to trust God in any and all situations.
God helped me my my strength in my weakness after I went through a hard time in my life at the end of junior year of high school before my senior year. He gave me the strength to trust in him again when I was going through a hard time in my life. God gave me the ability to trust in his power in my life again when I couldn't trust in him from the end of the spring that year to the summer of that year. I was before that time in a mood of depression and despair of not knowing where life will take me anymore. I wanted to be left alone before this awakening in my life occurred.
I still battle this thorn in the flesh today. It still frustrates me that I am not able to drive by myself. I have tried everything and it still has not worked out for me. I drove with a police officer while attending Alvin Community College. I drove with this women from a driving school in the Fort Worth area and did well for a while before my bad reaction time came back to hunt me.
The only to do really is to try to trust in God's plan for the future. That, God will use my weakness to help me grow in some way though it is a frustrating thing for me right now.
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