Anne, your situation has given me some thoughts. I thought about this the whole day today, and since I have a free day, and I'm alone, I had plenty of time for doing just that. You asked:
I believe that I made this debt come into being, but I know that things do not happen if it is not God's planning. So how do I reconcille this with God loving us and wanting to give me abundant life?
Yes, we make our problems come into being by our actions and the actions of others. However, the circumstances around us which caused us to act like that were not controlled by us. Because of the fact that we are marred we sometimes do things which we don't want to do.
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. (Jer 18:4-6 KJV)
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Rom 7:15-20 KJV)I have seen this so clearly in the last time. I DO WHAT I HATE. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Jesus Christ.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Rom 7:24-25 KJV)So, onto the next question. How do we reconcile being in debt with the fact that God wants us to have an abundant life? Anne, I want to thank you for your sincerity and for sharing this problem with us (I thank you on behalf of myself, but I'm sure that others here will agree with me). Your question was right on target. How do we reconcile being in physical debt with the fact that God wants us to have an abundant life? The only answer I can come up with is that regardless of physical debt and physical illness we can be spiritually out of debt and delivered from spirituall illness. These questions have lead me to conclude that the Bible ONLY makes sense to me as speaking about spiritual, and not physical. This is another debate, I know, but I have been brought to see that if the Bible is to be understood physically it is FULL of contradictions. That which is spiritually is eternal, the physical is not. I simply cannot make sense of it when I try to apply it physically. Therefore I believe that when God's Word is telling us that He wants us to have an abundant life, it means a spiritually abundant life. After all, a physically abundant life makes it hard to enter the Kingdom of Heaven:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Mat 19:23-26 KJV)This is what I believe we should expect:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2Pe 1:4 KJV)
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (Tit 3:4-6 KJV)
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (Joh 10:10 KJV)He came that we might have LIFE, and that we might have it more abundantly! What is life?
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (Joh 17:3 KJV)He came that we might know the Father and pass from spiritual death to spiritual life:
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (Mat 10:40 KJV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (Joh 5:24-25 KJV)This is a digression, but just now I noticed it saying: "The hour is coming, and
now is".
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (Joh 6:38-40 KJV)I hope this is of help to you, Anne. I hope that you can see that we can have life abundantly even if we are poor and in debt.
Thank you again for your sharing with us, Anne.
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Topic: I need some prayer (Read 7236 times)