A shepherd without sheep-dogs

In China there are shepherd without sheep-dogs. When a ewe strays from the flock, one of the shepherds aims a stone from his catapult to land just in front of her nose. The startled ewe rushes back to the safety of the fold.

God allows His own to see the danger of a path of sin before they plunge headlong into disaster. They are allowed to see the consequences of straying without falling completely into the clutches of the evil one. They may wander a way but not without the Shepherd startling them back to the place of safety.

A mysterious book, not easily legible

(Providence is)…a mysterious book, not easily legible, and best understood when read backward.

Melville Horne, Letters to Missions, 1794, in Brian Stanley, The Bible and the Flag, Apollos, 1990, p.107

If he ordains the victory he must ordain the battle

But should ‘no-risk’ providence, if followed through consistently, produce inactivity, since whatever will be, will be? This is based upon a misunderstanding. For according to Scripture God does not ordain ends without ordaining the means; the two are inseparable. If he ordains the victory he must ordain the battle; if he ordains the battle he must ordain the army, and so on.

Paul Helm, The Providence of God, IVP, 1993, p.219

Life can only be understood backwards

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

Soren Kierkegaard

The Myth of Sisyphus

According to Greek mythology Sisyphus was given an exemplary punishment by the Judges of the Dead. They showed him a huge block of stone and ordered him to roll it up the hill and place it at the top of the mountain. He never succeeded in doing so, for as soon as he almost reaches the top, he is forced back by the weight of the stone, which moves the stone down to the bottom of the mountain once more. Sisyphus is forced to begin all over again, “though sweat bathes his limbs, and a cloud of dust rises above his head

Robert Graves, Greek Myths, p.218

Unless history is going towards some goal, then all human effort is as Sisyphus’. Unless my efforts can be part of a lasting work, they are ultimately like his too.

God’s goodness to His creation

Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy

but

Hangovers are the wrath of grapes

(notices in pub)

(God brings forth)…wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart. Ps. 104.15

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Proverbs 20.1

History – Is it leading anywhere?

History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.

Edward Gibbon

Which would mean life is meaningless in any ultimate sense.

History is linear means that the actions of p e o p l e – as confusing and chaotic as they appear-are nonetheless part of a meaningful sequence that has a beginning, a middle and an end. History is not reversible, not repeatable, not cyclic; history is not meaningless. Rather, history is teleological, going somewhere, directed toward a known end. The God who
knows the end from the beginning is aware of and sovereign over the progress actions of mankind.

James Sire, Universe Next Door, p.41

God’s Provision

I do want you, dear friends, to realise this principle of working with GOD, and trusting Him for all. If the work is at the command of GOD we can go to Him with fullest confidence for workers. And when GOD gives the workers, then we can go to Him for the means. We always accept
a suitable volunteer, whether we have funds in hand or not.

Then we very often say, Now, dear friend, your first work will be to join us in praying for the money to send you to China. As soon as there is money enough, the time of year and other circumstances being suitable, the volunteer goes out. We do not wait until there is a remittance in hand to give him when he gets there. The LORD will, in the meanwhile, provide the means, and the money will be wired to China in time to supply his wants. Let us see that we keep GOD before our eyes ;that we walk in His ways, and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, GOD’S work done in GOD’S way will never lack GOD’S supplies.

Roger Steer, J.Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ, O M F Books (October 1993) p.299

Generosity to the poor

As Whitefield rode with a friend through the wild Border country…they met a widow woman whose goods were about to be distrained for debt, so George gave her five gold guineas. His friend remonstrated, saying it was more than he could afford – the reply, ‘When God brings a case of distress before us, it is that we may relieve it.’

They rode on into the hills. A highwayman sprang out at them, pistole cocked. They had no escape. The highwayman cantered off with the pockets of their pockets – was it not better that the widow had those five guineas than the thief? Then the highwayman returned demanding George’s coat in return for his tattered garment. Ten minutes later they heard hooves coming again but they fled reaching safety – inside the coat was a purse containing a hundred guineas!

John Pollock, George Whitefield, pp.185-186

Ben Franklin’s False Hopes

Franklin said

“I have no doubts that I shall enjoy as much of both as is proper for me. That Being who gave me Existence, and thro` almost threescore Years has been continually showering his Favours upon me, whose very Chastisements have been Blessings to me, can I doubt that he loves? And if he loves me, can I doubt that he will go on to take care of me not only here but hereafter?” This to some may seem presumption ; to me it appears the best grounded hope ; hope of the future built on experience of the past.

George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival, Vol.2 by Arnold Dallimore, page 449

In other words, he mistook general providential care for being in a state of grace. He failed to realise that God causes His sun to rise on the evil and sends rain on the unjust (Matt. 5:45).

Franklin doubted the deity of Christ (though Jesus made it clear that failure to recognise who Jesus was would lead to eternal death – John 8:24) and the Bible as the Word of God.

He remained in unbelief

After Whitefield ’s death

“Mr Whitefield used to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard.”

Ibid 453