Nathan Brewer
When someone is down on his luck, he wants to hear that things will get better, that someone or something will take care of him.
Some troubled souls try to escape their problems by climbing into a bottle and drinking their way out. Some turn to drugs.
And some turn to God.
On the surface this sounds like a good idea. After all, if there is an all powerful, all loving Creator who superintends the universe, surely He can help.
This appears to be part of the pitch from religion today. “Turn your life over to God, and He will take care of everything.”
But a glance at the Bible reveals that God is primarily concerned with solving one problem—sin. Not headaches, heartaches, or economic downturn.
God sent His only begotten Son into the world to provide a way of escape from sin (John 3:16). Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
Yes, for the child of God, appealing to the Father in prayer provides an avenue of communication in which to ask for things we need. But God is not an errand boy or a genie granting wishes.
The Apostle Paul was one of the most faithful, ardent disciples Jesus has had. He dedicated his life to living according to the Gospel and teaching that same Gospel to others. Yet he suffered tremendously (2 Cor. 11:23-33).
And Paul had one particular problem, his “thorn in the flesh,” which he specifically asked the Lord to remove. Yet the Lord would not, telling Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Cor. 12:7-9).
In fact, the Bible says that serving God may actually lead to physical trouble (2 Tim. 3:12). Now there’s a message religious people aren’t telling you today.
While some groups may try to get you into their buildings with promises of God curing all of your problems, we of the church of Christ want you to know this. God will save you from your sins, and if you live faithfully until you leave this world, you’ll live forever with Him.
That’s what He promises in His word, the Bible—not heaven on earth, but heaven itself. God loves your soul and wants you to go to heaven, and so do we.
