Natural Evil

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , ,

Romans 8:21

…that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

The Bible places great emphasis on the consequences of moral evil. But what about natural evil?

Insurance companies call them “acts of god”. An event that directly results from the occurrence of natural causes that could not have been prevented by the exercise of foresight or caution. These are typically your tornadoes, earthquakes, violent winds, and floods.

Generally speaking, it is agreed that moral evil is caused by direct human activity. A person doing harm toward another or refraining from doing good to another.  

However, natural evil is the open sport among philosophers and theologians. Some believe people cannot be held morally responsible for its occurrence and others believe because of man’s original fall from grace, natural evil is the result of man’s sin.

Then there are those who accuse God of manipulating nature’s forces to bring about destruction. Atheists like to use the argument that a loving God wouldn’t use force to destroy good people. Yet the Bible shows otherwise. One example, is the story of Job where Satan receives permission from God to destroy Job’s health, wealth, and family.

So, is natural evil God disciplining his children or just the systematic order of nature?

In order to answer that question, another one must first be asked. Is evil part of God’s plan?  Doesn’t God allow evil in the world? Could he eliminate evil from the planet whenever He desires? Yet He doesn’t, why?

I write this as the Corvid-19 pandemic circles the globe. Some scientists believe its presence came from a bat sold in a meat market in China. If so, isn’t it interesting that God in Leviticus outlines diet restrictions for his people Israel which includes not eating unclean foods? These unclean foods included garbage swallowers like catfish, pigs, and yes even bats. You think God may have knew something about certain animal species and what harmful viruses they may carry? 

I believe God allows natural disasters. He could prevent them from every happening. Yet He chooses not to. Why?

Maybe it has something to do with preparing people for eternity; building Godly character and trust in a loving Father. Maybe its to remind us we are not in absolute control of life. Pandemics occur. Tornadoes happen. Wild fires start. Doesn’t nature have a way to test us? To make us realize life is less about comfort and safety and more about dealing with crisis and challenges. Maybe major problems remind us we are not as strong and invincible as we may believe. Maybe there is Life greater than us.

I don’t have the answer. Only a whole lot of questions. But I do know God is working out something on earth that will culminate into one awesome, stunning event that will make all of history look at amazement at His finish work. But until then, we battle evils of all kinds with the help from an Almighty God. Then one day we will look back and the answer will be revealed. We will smile, acknowledge God’s wisdom, and move forward in greater expectation for what the future holds for us knowing He is in control and invites us to share in His work.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

“If Only” Trap

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Traps , , , ,

John 11:21 

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here…

One of the biggest traps that prevents a person from seizing the opportunity before them, is living the “if only” excuse. We play the recording so often that many of us are not aware what we are even doing.

If only I married the other person. If only I majored in accounting rather than biology. If only I said yes. Or if only I said no. We not only glance at life in the rear-view mirror, but we drive the car looking behind us rather than what is right in front of us. Try it some day and see how difficult and dangerous it is.

John writes in his gospel the story of Lazarus’ death. Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary and all three loved by Jesus. When Jesus delayed his coming by two days, Lazarus died. When Jesus finally showed up, Martha threw the “if only” card at Jesus. Jesus didn’t catch it but simply focused on the current situation and again rose someone from the dead. Jesus didn’t accept the ‘if only” card.

When we play the “if only” card, we try to justify it. The fact is, if we could have, we would have. But, maybe because of responsibility at the time, or health, or incomplete facts, we made a decision. Most likely, if you had the same information today that you had back then, you would make the same choice.

The next time you catch yourself stating the “if only” excuse, slap your face. Then was then; today is today. Learn from yesterday, plan for tomorrow, but live for today. All you have today is in front of you. Ask God for the wisdom to seize the opportunities that lie in front of you today. Learn to distinguish God’s activity at the moment, and look for ways to join Him.

As you mature in your relationship with our Lord, you will find yourself using the ‘if only” card less and playing the “what’s next Lord” track more. As a child matures into an adult, you will likewise mature in your walk with Father-Son-Spirit. You will receive constant reassurances during the day that you are important to Him and learn to trust Him more and more each day.

Again, forget the “if only” trap. Instead, learn to pray and walk with the “what’s next Lord” attitude. You will be pleasantly surprised by the transformation.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Behavior Trap

Dr. Mike Traps , , , ,

Titus 3:5

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

In business, performance is the name of the game. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday, you are constantly being measured and compared with others. We see this in sports. To make room for someone else who is younger, stronger, and less expensive, people are traded or just given their unconditional release. We basically grow up in a world where our behavior is constantly being monitored and evaluated.

So, when people come together to form a faith community, some if not many of these same values are carried over from the world’s playbook into the Church. The result is another worldly system operating under the disguise of a faith community.

One such value is to solely focus on behavior. When you ask someone in your faith community “what saves you?”, the response hopefully is a quick Jesus Christ. However, when the person’s reply is anything else, then maybe one needs to investigate a little further to determine the person’s perspective and relationship with our Lord.

The behavior trap is when you totally focus on the behavior of a person without knowing the heart. A Believer walking with the Lord will express their relationship with the same humility and attitude as the Holy Spirit. However, when one doesn’t know the Lord, the only emphasis a person has is the outward appearance. Without knowing a person’s heart, one can quickly condemn another saint without justifiable evidence.

This is why we need not so quickly judge one another. The behavior is easily recognized. But the intent, purpose, and motive are much deeper. For example, when one sees a person’s driving substantially faster than the posted speed limit, one can quickly state they are speeding, but to judge them for their actions without all the facts is almost impossible to do. It is very possible, the person driving the car is a doctor rushing to a life-threatening moment. Or a parent rushing home to a tragic event, or and you can add any seriousness situation where even you would be doing the same. This doesn’t change the behavior; but does place motive behind the action.   

When you truly realize our salvation is what Jesus did for us, and that he included us with Him in His relationship with Father God before we even knew Him, before we asked for forgiveness, before we were even born, puts his accomplishment into perspective. He chose us before the foundation of the world means before we raised one finger or even had one thought.

For now, behavior is all we initially recognize. It’s the starting point. But to effectively evaluate the situation you need to get to the heart of the matter. And that takes time. So remember, God is always working in the lives of those around us and the same grace God extends us is the grace we need to extend them.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved