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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: THE WHOLE WORLD IN GOD’S HANDS (not the song) (05/28/15)
How often have you heard it said, “God has everything under control?” If you listen carefully it’s usually said after every human solution is exhausted and people throw up their hands in helplessness. I may seem cruel and heartless here but such a response impresses me as being a cop out. Let me explain.

In the beginning, we know that God created everything, including man. (Genesis l, 1:1-25) But then He gave man the authority over it all. (See Genesis 2:26) God was to be the power source and man was to use His power to rule.

Things went perfectly well for a time. Man lived in a special place of God’s marvelous design, called the Garden of Eden. But soon, it all went wrong.

Man decided he would listen to Satan’s allegations against God. That way, man could be his own god. He would know good and evil and would be his own power source. Actually, man gave his God given authority over to Satan. Sin entered the world. Man started living in a fallen world, which exists even today.

Why didn’t God make sure that man was subservient to Him? It would have been simpler. Sin would have never reigned. But man would be a slave and God the slave driver. No room for love in that setup. One can get a fabulous picture of God’s love by reading 1 Corinthians 13.

So, God is love. But is He in control? According to His plan, He is. His plan is for believers to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19)

I’ll be frank here and admit that God’s commands stir fright from within me. Their monumental task dwarfs my ability to carry them out. After getting to know other Christians I am not alone in my insufficiency. But God has sent power from on high. The words of Acts 1:4-5 describe how God prepared His chosen ones to receive it.

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said,“ you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”

Because of their faithfulness in waiting on the Lord, the power came. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Time and space are not available here to summarize everything that has happened since the Power was sent from on high. But the key fact has been, and still is, whether or not believers are unified in receiving this power and using it. I will say that wherever this power is accepted and released, miraculous events occur.

So, man has a choice because God who is all powerful is a gentleman. He doesn’t force His will upon anyone but offers man a choice, to accept or reject Him. But acceptance must constitute a total submission to God. Through that submission, God is in control.

I see this time in the history of the world, when man is given a choice to accept life what God gives or be controlled by spiritual death.
I see God as rounding up believers to live with Him in the New Jerusalem. It will descend upon earth and God will dwell with them forever. It’s at the end of the Bible at the close of Revelation. It is the divine promise that this fallen world so desperately needs.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Bonnie Bowden 
06/04/15
I have to agree with you that even though God is in control, we have a responsibility to Him to walk in obedience.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
06/07/15
You make some wonderful points. I could definitely see myself in your example. I think at times, we all have experienced this in some way or another. I agree it is a cop out. You definitely reminded me to check myself and to take my problems to God right away.

My main red ink would be to omit the explaining lines about what you're going to say next like There's not time and space or let me explain. This is just a personal preference, but when the author directly asks the reader a question or uses phrases like above, I tend to brace myself for a possible "preachy" article.

I don't think your article felt too preachy, but I wondered if it would be in the beginning, which distracted me slightly. Instead, I might suggest you use the first person instead of the second. For example:
I cringe when people throw their hands up in helplessness and say, “God has everything under control.” It often happens after they exhausted every human solution. I think, as Christians, we should look to God first.

I did like the examples you gave. You did a great job of presenting your message in a passionate way. I could easily hear the inflections that you might use if you were to read it aloud to me. That's not always easy to do. I think you definitely wrote on topic. Keep writing and reading as many other challenges as possible. You did a good job on this one.