"God Will Do It!"
“God Will Do It.”
When my son Matthew was three, he’d wake up in the morning, walk into the living room where I was drinking my morning coffee and tell me he was hungry. If my wife was sleeping, I’d usually respon with “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll get it for you.” My son would then respond with “No! Mom will do it.” If I persisted and said “Mom’s sleeping. I’ll get you some cereal. OK?” He would yell even louder “No! Mom will do it!” It didn’t matter what I said, he would angrily persist with, “Mom will do it!” This, apparently, was not dad’s job, it was moms, and order needed to be maintained. This pattern persisted for a few months. Thankfully, my son eventually outgrew his “Mom will do it” phase.
This does not appear to be unusual. Kids, at least initially, tend to bond more deeply with their mothers, and for a few simple reasons: Moms have an intimate relationship that is both emotional and physical, especially, in the earliest years of their lives. And, in a way, that men, never will. Moms also tend to be nurturing in a way that most men are not. We all know this. At least, we used to. There are exceptions, of course. But, like all exceptions, they prove the rule.
For some Christians, there is a similar rule; “God will do it!” Whatever “It” is, God will solve their problem. Squander your finances? Don’t worry, because “God will fix it!” Just repent, confess your sin, and “God will do it!” It is a simple formula. Follow these simple steps and “God will do it!” So, stop trying to fix things yourself. Don’t you know that “God will do it?” Because God loves his children. If you as an earthly Father work tirelessly to rescue your children from harm, how much greater is God’s love? Meaning; “God will do it!”
Is there a simpler truth? I don’t think so. There’s just one glaring problem, “God frequently doesn’t do it.” If Church history is anything close to correct, every single one of Jesus’ followers was brutally murdered, with the possible exception of John. Even so, John lived in exile after being horrifically tortured for his faith.
The Apostle Paul, likewise, was shipwrecked, bitten by poisonous snakes, and beaten multiple times, nearly to death. People often say “But God was with him, enabling him to survive each of these trials.” Eventually, though, Paul was executed, beheaded, like Jesus’ cousin, John The Baptist. This came after an extended period in prison, where Paul used every tool and trick he knew to negotiate with the Romans for his life, even appealing to his status as a Roman Citizen, which was rare for a Jew, especially, a Pharisee. None of it worked. By the end of his life, Paul The Apostle understood that he, like Jesus, would be martyred for his beliefs. A fact that he accepted, but not without a fight.
The Bible, both old and new Testaments, tell a similar story, from the near-complete destruction of Israel as a people, with the few remaining stragglers living in exile, their Temple destroyed, leaving them no way to atone for sin—to a return from exile, where they lived in poverty, under the thumb of various political tyrants—for centuries.
Similarly, Christians, from Peter to Paul, and on through the next 2000 years, suffered and were also martyred for their faith. They still are. Recently, the oldest Christian community on earth, dating almost to the time of Christ was destroyed by ISIS, including the horrific murder of women and small children. In the New Testament, martyrdom was viewed as a sign of the Christian’s willingness to follow Jesus’ example, with a special place reserved in God’s Kingdom for martyrs, who did not stray from the faith, even when it meant their deaths. These individuals did not choose martyrdom, as some Islamic radicals do, who are willing to die in an attempt to kill as many non-believers as possible. Instead, the earliest Christians understood that the threat of death was very real, and they were willing to risk their lives in an effort to change the world. A simple historical overview of the world before Christianity will show just how successful they were. Imperfectly, mind you, but where, in the real world, do we find perfection? The word “perfect” is a descriptive term that is essentially subjective, not an objective reality. This is exactly what we find when we look at real-world movements like Christianity.
What do we mean, then, when we say "God will do it?" Or, "Let go and let God! Or, "God will not abandon his children."
I guess that depends on what’s meant by the word “Abandon?”
If we are willing to read past our favorite scriptures, the ones that promise easy prosperity, to those scriptures that say exactly the opposite, without losing faith, we might begin to view God and The Bible differently.
These, I believe, are not contradictions, except for those who reason like children, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who saw their prosperity as a symbol of their righteousness. Paul’s beatings, however, told a different story. Paul’s story reflected the reality of Christ's life and death. The Corinthians story, by comparison, reflected the reality of their good fortune, based on the values of this World, not the values of God.
God will do it, of course. Exactly what that means, however, is another matter altogether.
Mark Magula
When my son Matthew was three, he’d wake up in the morning, walk into the living room where I was drinking my morning coffee and tell me he was hungry. If my wife was sleeping, I’d usually respon with “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll get it for you.” My son would then respond with “No! Mom will do it.” If I persisted and said “Mom’s sleeping. I’ll get you some cereal. OK?” He would yell even louder “No! Mom will do it!” It didn’t matter what I said, he would angrily persist with, “Mom will do it!” This, apparently, was not dad’s job, it was moms, and order needed to be maintained. This pattern persisted for a few months. Thankfully, my son eventually outgrew his “Mom will do it” phase.
This does not appear to be unusual. Kids, at least initially, tend to bond more deeply with their mothers, and for a few simple reasons: Moms have an intimate relationship that is both emotional and physical, especially, in the earliest years of their lives. And, in a way, that men, never will. Moms also tend to be nurturing in a way that most men are not. We all know this. At least, we used to. There are exceptions, of course. But, like all exceptions, they prove the rule.
For some Christians, there is a similar rule; “God will do it!” Whatever “It” is, God will solve their problem. Squander your finances? Don’t worry, because “God will fix it!” Just repent, confess your sin, and “God will do it!” It is a simple formula. Follow these simple steps and “God will do it!” So, stop trying to fix things yourself. Don’t you know that “God will do it?” Because God loves his children. If you as an earthly Father work tirelessly to rescue your children from harm, how much greater is God’s love? Meaning; “God will do it!”
Is there a simpler truth? I don’t think so. There’s just one glaring problem, “God frequently doesn’t do it.” If Church history is anything close to correct, every single one of Jesus’ followers was brutally murdered, with the possible exception of John. Even so, John lived in exile after being horrifically tortured for his faith.
The Apostle Paul, likewise, was shipwrecked, bitten by poisonous snakes, and beaten multiple times, nearly to death. People often say “But God was with him, enabling him to survive each of these trials.” Eventually, though, Paul was executed, beheaded, like Jesus’ cousin, John The Baptist. This came after an extended period in prison, where Paul used every tool and trick he knew to negotiate with the Romans for his life, even appealing to his status as a Roman Citizen, which was rare for a Jew, especially, a Pharisee. None of it worked. By the end of his life, Paul The Apostle understood that he, like Jesus, would be martyred for his beliefs. A fact that he accepted, but not without a fight.
The Bible, both old and new Testaments, tell a similar story, from the near-complete destruction of Israel as a people, with the few remaining stragglers living in exile, their Temple destroyed, leaving them no way to atone for sin—to a return from exile, where they lived in poverty, under the thumb of various political tyrants—for centuries.
Similarly, Christians, from Peter to Paul, and on through the next 2000 years, suffered and were also martyred for their faith. They still are. Recently, the oldest Christian community on earth, dating almost to the time of Christ was destroyed by ISIS, including the horrific murder of women and small children. In the New Testament, martyrdom was viewed as a sign of the Christian’s willingness to follow Jesus’ example, with a special place reserved in God’s Kingdom for martyrs, who did not stray from the faith, even when it meant their deaths. These individuals did not choose martyrdom, as some Islamic radicals do, who are willing to die in an attempt to kill as many non-believers as possible. Instead, the earliest Christians understood that the threat of death was very real, and they were willing to risk their lives in an effort to change the world. A simple historical overview of the world before Christianity will show just how successful they were. Imperfectly, mind you, but where, in the real world, do we find perfection? The word “perfect” is a descriptive term that is essentially subjective, not an objective reality. This is exactly what we find when we look at real-world movements like Christianity.
What do we mean, then, when we say "God will do it?" Or, "Let go and let God! Or, "God will not abandon his children."
I guess that depends on what’s meant by the word “Abandon?”
If we are willing to read past our favorite scriptures, the ones that promise easy prosperity, to those scriptures that say exactly the opposite, without losing faith, we might begin to view God and The Bible differently.
These, I believe, are not contradictions, except for those who reason like children, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who saw their prosperity as a symbol of their righteousness. Paul’s beatings, however, told a different story. Paul’s story reflected the reality of Christ's life and death. The Corinthians story, by comparison, reflected the reality of their good fortune, based on the values of this World, not the values of God.
God will do it, of course. Exactly what that means, however, is another matter altogether.
Mark Magula