Christian Chefs Fellowship - Devotional Articles

Just a few days ago, our entire country went into a state of confusion. Attacks that have never been seen nor even imagined before, have just happened. Death tolls are in the thousands and still counting, and the whole world is in mourning. Such a catastrophe as unimaginable as this causes people to be very interested in the spiritual realm, and who do you think they'll be looking at for answers to their many questions? That's right -- YOU! And what do you think the number one question will be from your family at home, your friends and people in the kitchens you work in? My guess is "Why would God allow such a horrible thing to happen?"

I don't know how many ideas you've heard in the media or from your Christian friends -- I personally have already heard a variety of different answers that people have. But first, we must assess if that is really the question that should've been asked.

Let's look at the question itself. Does the person asking the question even believe God is real? Asking that question would imply there really isn't a God, as they would be instead meaning "God couldn't be real, for if He was, something as horrible as this wouldn't have happened." So if that's the case, what is the standard of morality? And what's their definition of "horrible"? Not having a standard of morality, it's only personal opinion to what their definition of "horrible" is. A much better question possibly would be "Why hasn't all this happened sooner?" Look at our country right now. We claim, as all our money states, that "In God We Trust", but do we really? Godly directives may have been what this country was founded on, but look at it today. Today, it's illegal to share the historically proven gospel of the Bible in public schools in our country, but the unproven theory of evolution is a required topic to cover. In school, being Gay and Lesbian is promoted, while being against it is considered prejudice (just the opposite from not too many years ago). These, premarital sex, and many others similar sins are not even thought twice about in the world today, unfortunately, way too often -- even within the church.

As I truly don't know exactly what the reason for this was, for this or other reasons it even could've been God causing all this to happen. As He is in control of all things (Col 1:16-17), He might not have actually caused it to happen, but there's no question that He did most definitely allow it to happen. It could also be signs of the age, because Jesus says in Matthew 24:42, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

Thank God for keeping us all alive today, especially those who have not yet trusted in Him alone for the eternal life He offers freely. God is continuously pouring out His grace on ALL people, both believers and nonbelievers, allowing us all to be alive right this moment, as He is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb 1:3). There's absolutely no reason other than God why any of us are alive today, and for unbelievers, why they shouldn't already be in hell. I believe that if for no other reason, this is a big wakeup call proving that we can't rely on our powerful governments, military, police, technology, or anything else but God alone for security. These events have served to remind us that all people one day will die, and one reason why we as Christians are set apart from the world in times like this is because we have that greater trust in God above rather than on this perishing world. All who are left alive today have a choice -- whether to live the rest of eternity with Christ in heaven or in eternal damnation elsewhere. But the choice is to be made now, as the grace of God is still keeping alive all who are alive, and there is a point when there will no longer be opportunity for many to make that choice. Because of this ordeal, there are many people in heaven with God right this moment who had accepted Jesus as their personal Savior in the past, but there are probably many more that never made that choice and no longer have that opportunity to change their mind. They might have believed God exists, but as James 2:19 states, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!"

Hopefully, this catastrophe will lead to a great number of people choosing to get right with God, both in America and around the world -- accepting His good and perfect will for their lives through the free gift of salvation. God explains through Romans 3:23 how "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", so being "good", and following the law that was set down in the past just doesn't cut it (otherwise we wouldn't have needed Jesus to die for our sins as we could've saved ourselves without His grace), as "No one is good but One, that is, God" (Matthew 19:17). Therefore, let's all humble ourselves and pray for many to repent and for us Christians not to lose our saltiness (Mark 9:50), for many people will be looking at us in the nearby days to come, as we do have THE answer, that being Jesus Christ, as "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20) So as you chat with all your unsaved friends about the question, just remember that there is hope, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Ira Krizo

I would like to add that verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Notice that the warning is NOT to unbelievers - it's to HIS people who are called by HIS name (ie. Christians). WE'RE the ones who are to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Our unholy ways are what's caused our land to be sick - our namby-pamby or silent reactions to the ungodly ideals that have gradually overtaken the very heart of our nation, our schools, our government, our homes, yes, even our churches. It would seem that God has indeed lifted His hand of protection from us. Christians everywhere ought to be repenting -- and then going forth in renewed holy boldness to unapologetically proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. When God saves us, He doesn't just come in and do "surgery" to cut away the evil within us -- He gives us a totally new "being". He doesn't just give us help from the outside -- He actually lives right inside us through His indwelling Holy Spirit! He saves to the uttermost! Before we can expect to see our land healed, we must come to God, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Then God will hear us.

Carol Pinson

*All quotations NKJV unless stated otherwise.

If God is speaking to your heart about these things, and you need somebody to talk with, please don't hesitate to e-mail us about your need and somebody from the Fellowship will contact you as soon as possible. If you have a prayer request or would like to start a theological discussion on this or any other topic please feel free to post it in our Message Boards.

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