Whose side is God On?

[cavell]

Whose Side Is God On?
READ: 2 Chronicles 15:1-15

The Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. —1 Chronicles 28:9

I do not boast that God is on my side,” wrote Abraham Lincoln. “I humbly pray that I am on God’s side.”

Lincoln’s words paraphrase the thoughts Azariah expressed to King Asa of Judah. After the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, he said, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chron. 15:2).

Throughout history, people have done despicable deeds while boldly claiming that God was on their side. But being a Christian doesn’t guarantee that God is “on our side” any more than being an ancient Israelite guaranteed that God was on theirs (Isa. 3:14-15). God is on the side of those who are on His side—who know His heart and mind and do His will—not those who insist on convincing God and others that their way is right.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord indicated that He sides with the oppressed (Isa. 58:6-7,10). For Christians, that means it is right to be on the side of those who are being wronged.

Instead of jumping into a situation with the presumption that God is on our side, we need to be certain that we are on His. — Julie Ackerman Link

Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine! —Havergal


It’s dangerous to mistake our wishes for God’s will.

[Pete Martinez]

Agreed 100%. That being said we must fall under the other trap, believing that we are only saved when we're being good. If he saves you he saves you, end of story. If you look at David, a man after God's own heart, he fell time and time again and yet God always brought him back to his side. We should never worry about him not being with us as long as we are disciplined and brought back to him when we sin.

[Wilky]

I am with you, Pete. I talk to many guys (college students, young soldiers) who struggle with distinguishing between the assurance of an eternity with Christ and what to expect from Christ during their earthly struggles.

It seems that the plight of many Christians is reconciling God's love in our failures with his hatred of sin. It is a seemingly paradoxical situation. The fundamental practice of dying to self is at the core of the solution, I believe, to the problem. Replacing my perspectives and practices with those Christ dictated is how that comes about. The fundamental recognition in that practice is, as Rick Warren would say: "It's not about you."

[wilkette]

Originally Posted by Wilky

I am with you, Pete. I talk to many guys (college students, young soldiers) who struggle with distinguishing between the assurance of an eternity with Christ and what to expect from Christ during their earthly struggles.

It seems that the plight of many Christians is reconciling God's love in our failures with his hatred of sin. It is a seemingly paradoxical situation. The fundamental practice of dying to self is at the core of the solution, I believe, to the problem. Replacing my perspectives and practices with those Christ dictated is how that comes about. The fundamental recognition in that practice is, as Rick Warren would say: "It's not about you."

Werd.

After justification comes sanctification. And it is an active verb. Sanctifying. Our lives are a process, and they are one that will not be complete until we enter the Heavenly realm and can experience what we have been striving for all that time - glorification. If it were possible to attain here, we would have little use for Christ.

So we stumble, yes - but we always rise and push forward.

[silentpoet]

It is sometimes tough to know what God's will is. To know who is the most opressed is not always clear. The best you can do is seek after God's will.

Sometimes we do pick the wrong battle to fight. But it is from these ashes that future victories grow.