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< February, 2002 >
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Lord Could You Please Make London the Capital of France?It began when I was very small. I told God I would be a whole lot better if my Dad would just get sober. My Dad didn't get sober and contrary to some, because even then I was a covenant child of God, bought and paid for 2,000 years before, I didn't get better.I decided that I would be a really good boy and maybe my Dad would get sober and my Mom wouldn't leave. I've been trying to do it all of my life. It included girls. "If you'll just get her to say yes I'll read the Bible every day," I pleaded. It included grades and tests. "Lord could you please make London the capital of France? I promise that I'll go to church every week if you'll do that." It included money. "Lord would it hurt some grand cosmic plan if you made me a rich man?" I asked for bigger churches. I once even tried to manipulate God about a sermon I was writing, the title of which was "The Sovereignty of God." Someone gave me some advice from a northerner who was writing to his Yankee friends back home who were thinking about moving South. He wrote: "Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store. Do not buy food in this store." "If you hear a Southern Boy say, 'Hey Ya'all, watch this!' step away from him those are likely the last words he will ever say." "'You need to know that 'he needed killin' is a valid legal defense in the South.""If you run your car in a ditch, don't panic. Two guys in a four-wheel-drive truck with a case of beer will show up with a tow chain and pull you out. Don't try to help them. Stay out of their way. That's what they live for." A lot of us are like that. I don't know about you, but I'm one of those who sometimes think that getting into trouble, the proverbial ditch, is no problem. God, of course, will show up and he'll pull us out because he admires us. He does what we want. And after all, that's what He lives for. I try to manipulate God by explaining that my needs are greater than others'. I try to manipulate Him by calling His principles promises. I try to manipulate God by being good and and sometimes I try to manipulate God by being bad. I try to manipulate God by telling Him how unfair my circumstances are. I had been working all day and that evening, realized I was hungry. Burger King was just down the street, so I drove down there. In the change that they gave me was a dollar bill. I looked at it because it had writing on it. It said, "Anyone who receives this one dollar bill will be blessed with lots of money. Just write this message on 10 one dollar bills." No, I didn't, but I'm thinking about it and I still have the dollar bill. As a matter of fact, I thought "how silly!" And that was when God reminded me of all the times I tried to change his mind to get him to affirm my agenda to make me rich. Frankly, I'm not proud of the fact that I've tried and still try to manipulate God. But, I have to say it so you'll know that I'm not preaching here, I'm learning. We need to remember that absolute knowledge of God is not ours to possess. Not only should you not manipulate God, you can't manipulate God. Romans 11:30-35For as you also then disbelieved God, but now have been shown mercy through their disbelief, even so these also have not believed now, so that through your mercy they may also obtain mercy. For God has shut up all in unbelief, so that He might show mercy to all. O [the] depth of [the] riches both of [the] wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable [are] His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of [the] Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who first gave to Him, and it will be repaid to him?
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