FREEWILL OR DONE DESTINY?

 FREEWILL OR DONE DESTINY?

A lesson about counting the cost suggests that man has a freewill to become in Life as they would Wish to. This looks like true over all the generations because human beings who work towards goals,  undistracted, seem to end up achieving them. The bible is also not short of scriptures that confirm the freewill gift given by God to man. Galatians 5:13 says, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love."  So also was the idea in the garden of Eden where freewill was given, but also was an advice not to eat fruits of the tree of knowledge. 

Career path is also a personal choice. While God's word indicates special and differing gifts or abilities to different people, emphasis is placed on need of personal effort to fan the given gifts meaning that personal  strive towards goals to become. Skilled men in different trades were appointed by God to work in biblical constructions like the tabernacle or temple.  

The idea of destiny is however a biblical mystery that is sometimes frightening.  It goes like this....every human being has an exact life plan  pre-determined by God, with a specific purpose or end. On the good side of it, God says that He has good plans for us to give us a future and hope meaning a good ending. The story of Judas is a good example planned,  prophesied and foreknown by Jesus that Judas would betray Him. Judas had been particularly chosen for the role, which rules out the idea of freewill or free choice about his destiny.  Imagine God choosing you for an evil role and a destructive ending meaning there is nothing you can do but must fulfil the evil role. On the destiny lessons of the bible is Proverbs 19:21 which says that, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." A more scary verse is Proverbs 16:4 which says that, "The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster." 

Does man have control over his life? Were our lives pre-determined by God removing our ability of control? Fully or to a certain percentage? Or should we just forget these arguments and just live our lives the best way we know how? Maybe we should.  Or?

@Stephen Mungai

COUNTING THE COST

 *COUNTING THE COST* 

Nothing just happens but things are made to happen. The saying rules out the possibility of coincidence in life. Is it true that there is nothing like coincidence in life? Let’s think of a lady who suddenly, along the streets, meets a handsome man whose looks are exactly as per the man of her dreams. They pick a conversation and for a 30 minutes’ walk down the street, all the talk fits the lady’s bill of ideal man. Down the corner, the man needs to make a turn, but the lady needs to walk ahead. The Man asks if he could have the lady’s contact but the stubborn monster in her pops up and says No, explaining that they just met. Of course she doesn’t want to appear cheap. They then part ways but lady walks questioning herself regarding what she just did. Could she have just allowed her dream man slip off her fingers? ‘Why do I have to always be so stubborn?’ ‘Could the idea of that man be a messenger of the devil who I was lucky to escape from?’ ‘Did I do the right thing?’. The questions keep coming to her mind till late into the night but none of them can she answer confidently. Thinking of coincidences, was it a good or bad coincidence that she met the man? Could she have rejected Mr. right sent to her by God?

Believers of no coincidences try to make meaning of everything that happens to their lives. Many passages of the bible bring out the idea that everything in life happens according to God’s plans. Talk of John 1:3 that says that without Him, nothing was made that was made. Think of Luke 21:18 that says that not a hair from his head will perish. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those called according to His purpose.

On the other hand, God’s word implies that for things to happen in our lives, we need to first consider what we want, sit down and calculate the cost we must pay to make it happen, much before we begin any of the projects that we want to engage in. This implies also that nothing will happen in our lives by coincidence or luck, but we must pay the cost equivalent to what we want to happen for us. Luke 14: 28-30, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and cannot finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

It looks like there are no coincidences in life. Maybe there is also nothing like luck. Rather, we need to consider what we want and pay the equivalent cost for it. So, what do you want? What is the cost? Are you ready to pay?

@Stephen Mungai

CHRISTIANITY AND DEVELOPMENT

 CHRISTIANITY AND DEVELOPMENT 

Discussion about Christianity and culture was an interesting conversation.  It took another twist to the relationship between Christianity and development.  How do the two sit together? Does the level of Christianity, if there be such a concept,  affect how developed a person or a country becomes. Are there persons in the forbes billionaires club list who owe their riches to Christianity? Is Development of any of the countries in G7 attributed to Christianity? Is this kind of measuring development applicable to assess the influence Christianity has on our world today? Is that influence important or Christians don't belong to this world and therefore need not such influence? 

Last week's discussion pointed out that Africa has most Christians but is at the same time full of poor people and countries.  Is the bible against wealth? Why is Material progress promised in the bible not realised by the Christians today inspite of endless church services and prayer encounters? 

I think the bible has specific principles regarding all the guidance we need for proper godly living. A good word like, 'Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.' in Proverbs 12:11 is one of such principles. Many of our pastors and priests may plead guilty of guiding their congregants to chase fantasies. They require them say 'amen' to all the wishful thinking pushed through congregants' ears.....,'you will receive your blessings ' , 'your suffering will end' , 'you shall be the head and not the tail'. Many of these prophecies never materialise because they are only an end in themselves. In reality they ought to be the first steps to achievement of the promises. The second step should be the works in the faith which many of our preachers don't guide us on. They should guide us to plant our farms, start selling merchandise,  begin manufacturing business,  learn a trade, enroll for a technical course,  begin to do value addition to our farm produce, develop a software that solves an imminent societal problem. This will be equivalent to Christians activating their faith. Perhaps, the world can begin to take Christians seriously. Then will christianity influence begin to be felt. Or don't we see a gap in the sermons we listen to? We are always told that it will happen but not how to have it happen. Shouldn't our pastors and priests begin the second part of the sermons on how exactly we will receive the blessings as promised? I suggest they should because, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” according to James 2:26.

Need i say more?

@Stephen Mungai