For thought and meditation Sun Apr 14 2024

Calling Down Fire
Blackaby Ministries

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Luke 9:54

James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” When they discovered a Samaritan village that would not receive Jesus, they were fully prepared to call down fire to consume the entire community! Perhaps they felt that through such a show of power, their gospel message might be enhanced. The two brothers were willing to sacrifice the lives of the villagers in order to further the cause of the gospel. Jesus rebuked them.

Later, the apostles heard that Samaria had responded to the gospel (Acts 8:14). Who was commissioned to go and help them receive the Holy Spirit but Peter and John! God’s purpose had not been to destroy those people but to save them. God chose not to rain down fire on the village, but to shower it with His Holy Spirit. What must have gone through John’s mind as he saw those same people, whom he had been ready to destroy, now rejoicing in their salvation? How grateful he must have been that Jesus had prevented him from carrying out his plans!

What an enormous contrast between man’s thinking and God’s! Man’s thinking would have resulted in the destruction of an entire village. God’s plan brought salvation to it. People will benefit far more from what God wants to give them than from your best plans. Have you been shortchanging the people around you by merely giving them your plans instead of God’s?

Have a great day!

This is a good reminder for me. I sometimes catch myself wishing a lightning bolt from Heaven would come down and strike certain politicians while at the podium telling lies ;^)
JW

Thank you for this message I really needed this to remind me that it's God Plan

God Bless

JDAS

Just remember, if God needs someone removed He is capable of accomplishing this in many ways. He does NOT need us to do it.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Smith

Just remember, if God needs someone removed He is capable of accomplishing this in many ways. He does NOT need us to do it.

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But He may use us to speed someone's removal. The problem becomes, how do we know if He is directing us or if we are acting on our will instead of His will?

Should we have waited for God to remove the British and give us freedom? Or Hitler? Did we really need to use atomic weapons to defeat the Japanese?

The Bible is full of stories of God supporting one side in a war in the OT. But God does not do that anymore. In fact, if someone told us God had come to him in a dream and that we should take up arms against another nation, we would view them as unhinged.

In WWII the Allies thought God was on our side and the Germans and Italians though God was on their side, and we worship the same God.

Amen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wayne Smith

Just remember, if God needs someone removed He is capable of accomplishing this in many ways. He does NOT need us to do it.

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It is true that God acted directly in removing the world's population in the flood and in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Then he used Israel to remove the wicked when taking the land promised to her. The divine intention for earthly governments is remove and punish the wicked. After all, the first rule God gave to man after the flood was the death penalty for murderers. So while God can do it himself, he tasks man with much of this.