No Coincidences

Tag: Prepared

  • The Chance of Faith

    The Chance of Faith

    One Sunday I was in my car with a friend, CJ Matthews.  We were driving after church to go do something.  I can’t remember what it was.  Visit someone or give a blessing or something that like.

    A few minutes into the drive I realized I was out of gas. I remembered I’d been out of gas since I left my home that morning to drive to church.  It was 20 minutes to our location. It would be 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back to CJ’s car. Then the drive home. No way I could make it without getting gas.

    Which Gasoline Should You Buy?
    Not me on a Sunday unless CJ is in the car.

    I informed CJ of our dilemma.  I let him know I wouldn’t be getting gas on a Sunday.  God would get us there and get us back.  If you could see the look on CJ’s face!  It was great.  His response, “Is God going to turn air into gasoline for you to return?  Pull over and get gas.  I’m not walking to a gas station.”

    I eventually complied with his request, though begrudgingly.  I had the faith that God would help us accomplish what we needed to accomplish without having to stop for gas.

    This is a topic my wife and I playfully debate often.  I try to say that I have no concern about my life or well-being.  If I’m meant to die, I will die when God needs me back and not a second sooner.  I joke often that the best way to die would be by lightning at the top of a mountain.  That would clearly indicate an urgent need God had for me to return and start serving Him on the other side.

    My wife is in the other school of thought.  She agrees with CJ.  Don’t put yourself in harm’s way.  Don’t put yourself at risk.  Don’t be stupid. Boring!  I’m inclined to be stupid. Sometimes I consider it my way of showing God I have faith. I know, my wife has already told me I’m stupid.

    Anyways.

    I’ve made this a joking introduction but it’s something I truly struggle with. 

    Where does faith end and wise action start?

    The principle is told in a story that I love and think about often.  The story goes like this, I’ll tell my version.

    Flood. Man on the roof of his house

    A great flood comes, and a man gets on top of the roof of his house.  A man comes by in a canoe.  “Hop in!”  he yells.  The man on the roof calmly tells him no thanks.  The water gets higher.  A couple in a boat comes by.  “Get in!  The water is rising!”  The man on the roof calmly denies the gesture and stays on his roof.  The water gets higher.  The man on the roof is close to being overtaken by the water.  A helicopter comes by and throws a rope down.  The man on the roof waves it away.

    The man on the roof is finally overtaken by the water and drowns.

    When in heaven he looks to God and asks, “I prayed the whole time I was on the roof.  Why didn’t you help me?”

    God replies, “I sent you a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter!  What else did you want from me?”

    I know what the scriptures tell us.  I know God wants wise servants.  I know he wants us to be prepared.  I know He wants us to work problems out in our minds and learn to problem solve.  I know we’re here to learn to make good choices. 

    But I also know we’re here to learn faith.  We’re here to learn obedience.  We’re here to learn to trust God.

    I hope I live my life with a firm belief that God will guide me wherever He needs me as long as I do my part.  I often joke about how God holds my hand and guides me to places, decisions, people.  I often joke how God has been there with me every step of the way.  He has blessed me in so many profound ways I can’t deny His loving guidance in every moment of my life.

    I know that God still wants me to do my part.

    So, I put my faith forward.  God will get me there!  Or does God put a gas station directly on my journey so I can get gas?  How often is God up there, exasperated, “I put the gas station right along the way!”  Or even better, “I put CJ and Beth around you to balance out your silly refusal to take care of yourself!”

    I wonder how often I’m turning away the canoe, boat, and helicopter.  I only hope I’m ultimately doing what God wants me to do.  I think that’s the best any of us can do.

  • Second Coming is Upon Us (maybe?)

    Second Coming is Upon Us (maybe?)

    I’ve been pondering a scripture that many might find a peculiar scripture to study.  I think value can be taken from almost any scripture.

    1 Nephi 18:23 reads:

    “And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents, and we did call it the promised land.”

    “The Rapture,” the “Second Coming,” the “Millennium,” the “End of Times,” it comes in many different terms.  There’s a belief in a lot of Christianity that the end will come overnight, Christ will appear, and the millennium will be ushered in.

    From what I’ve read and studied and what modern revelation tells us, this will not be the case.  There will be a long, drawn out period of famine, war, disease, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that will go on for some time before Christ returns. 

    Check out that list.  War.  Disease.  Fire.  Sound familiar?

    The fall of society and of God’s chosen land (United States of America) will come before the Millennium is ushered in.  The faith of the saints, the believers of Christ, will be tested in serious and tragic ways.  There will be much suffering.  If your foundation and faith in Christ is not firm before it comes you could find yourself asking, “Why is God letting this happen?”

    We’ve always known this was going to happen.  The scriptures have talked about our day since the beginning of time.  Now we’re seeing it happen.   

    Back to 1 Nephi 18:23 (with some emphasis added):

    “And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents, and we did call it the promised land.”

    Many estimates put that “space of many days” that Lehi and his family sailed as at least 1-2 years.  That’s 1-2 years on a cramped boat sailing across the ocean.  After many days they finally arrived at the promised land.

    I believe this will be similar to how Christ’s coming will approach us. We will spend many days being tossed about by the winds and waves. We will be required to endure a lot of suffering before we can arrive at the promised land.

    As things get more difficult, I pray that each of us individually considers how strong our faith in Christ truly is.  It’s easy today to casually say, “I believe in Jesus Christ.”  But what about when it’s hard?  What about when your life is in jeopardy because of that belief?  Will you still profess Him who will never turn His back on you?

    Finally, while things are scary in our world, and only getting scarier, it’s important to remember Romans 8:35-39:

    35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

    36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

    37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

    38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

    39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Be prepared. Keep hope. Look to Christ.

    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/second-coming-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng