Why God Will Not Solve All Your Problems

Recently, I came across a very well meaning person trying to encourage others by telling them that God will solve all their problems. While it is true that God enables us to first see that we have  problems and gives us grace to face them, it is untrue that He solves them for us.

In my nearly 20 years of relationship with God through the faith in His Son Jesus, I found that He did just the opposite. He never solved any problems for me, but He always had given me wisdom to solve them myself.

But that does not mean that I do not depend on Him at all. As I mentioned above, it is He who is giving me the wisdom and grace to do it. Some Christians go into the extreme of trying to do everything in their own power alone and that leads to legalism, pride,  and failure. Others go into another extreme of waiting for God to solve all their problems and their lives are a mess as a result because they never get solved.

The best way is a narrow straight balanced way of trusting in God to help us, but at the same time using the wisdom He has given us to do all we can do ourselves and taking responsibility for our decisions. This is how we grow and mature.

Teaching people to expect God to solve all their problems is very harmful even though it is well meaning because it will keep them immature and always struggling with the same problems. It can even lead some to abandon their faith in God altogether when they see that God is not solving their problems for them as they were taught to expect.

If you are in the situation where you have the same types of problems over and over again, instead of asking God to solve them for you, ask Him to give you wisdom and ability to solve them yourself and your life, and the life of those around you will improve dramatically as you begin to face and solve them.

How Reformation Affected Your Life

It doesn't matter if you are Christian, atheist, or agnostic. Reformation affected your life. It is 500

years to the day since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, a modern equivalent of a Facebook post ( yes you can thank Martin Luther for Facebook), which began the Reformation.

And though Roman Catholic Church still mourns this historic event as a  tragedy that brought division to their Church, and a wave of violence to Europe, it also brought the Western world civil liberties, freedom of conscience, science, modern democratic values, and a sharp increase in both knowledge and the standards of living among ordinary people. All the things you enjoy everyday and take for granted.

In standing up to the papacy in matters of faith and conscience and encouraging people to know God and the Bible for themselves by translating the sacred texts into German, Luther began a spiritual and literary revolution in Germany, and the rest of Europe. People wanted to learn to read, so they could read the Bible and the writings of Luther, as well as other reformers. Soon political leaders also began to stand up to the papacy since people stopped believing in their ability to condemn them to hell for any act  of disobedience which eventually led to separation of church and state, which we so value today. The Catholic Church could not control people like they used to since the priests were no longer the only ones who could read and interpret the Scriptures, so they began to enjoy not only freedom of faith, but also became free to discover the world around them and how it worked as their expression of faith thus beginning the scientific revolution, which makes it quite ironic today for some atheist scientists to accuse Christians of being anti-science when it was them who laid the foundations for it.

There was also initially a big wave of violence against the Church and state, but it was not as much a result of Reformation ( Luther never incited anyone to violence) as the result of  spiritual, economic, and political oppression the common people endured under the Roman Catholic Church and Aristocracy controlled by it. Many people sought revenge. It was like taking the lid off od the pressure cooker, but once it ebbed away Europe was on a path to much more prosperity and advancements in every area of life.

You might even say that Luther began the first social media revolution comparable to invention of the Internet. His writing written in common German circulated all over Germany  thus unifying German language, and the same happened in other countries and their languages. Puritans took the ideals of Reformation to America, which made it into  the most powerful and prosperous country in the world. I dare say that America would never become what it is today if Reformation never happened, so whether you knew it or not Reformation affected your very life in countless ways. What changes did one man bring into the world! It is amazing when you think about it. One lowly unknown priest in a little unknown university town changed the world.

But then, so did Jesus. He also came into this world as a lowly carpenter  from very little esteemed Jewish village of Nazareth. Didn't He say that whoever believes and follows Him will do great things? Do likewise. Be the light to this world. Your words and actions have more impact on the world around you than you know.

Author's Note: Photo of the Martin Luther statue by John Rallison

Why I Am Not Worried About Rising Interest Rates

On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada raised lending interest rates for the very first time in 7 years, and while there is a lot of concern about that among the financial experts and a lot of fear among those who have  high debt levels, people like myself are not worried at all right now because we do not have any debt.

We did what was right in that we learned how to live below our means, but we were continually being punished for it by low interest that was paid to us for our savings, and by high real estate prices.

So, the rising interest rates are bad news for people who are irresponsible and greedy, but very good news for those who are content. That is why truly contentment is a great gain in the long term.

But if you are the one who is in debt, don't panic. There is still time for you to bring your house in order, but that time gap is rapidly growing. The rise in interest rates was very small, but it will continue in the future. Being in debt is never good for you regardless of whether the credit is cheap or not. The borrower is always a slave to the lender. Don't be a slave.

The key to your freedom is contentment, because if you are content with what you have, you will not be greedy for more, and you will not be buying the things you don't need in order to impress the people you don't like. You will be free and you will not be wicked as only the wicked borrow and do not pay back. Cut down on your expenses now and pay your debts as soon as possible.

It feels truly great when you don't owe anything to anyone except love.  You are free from any financial anxiety.  And it is especially true if you are a Christian. You were bought at the great price to be free and not to be slave of people, especially of those who run the banks and you will be more free to give to causes that advance the kingdom of God instead of making the wicked system of this world that  is ruled by the devil rich. You cannot serve both God and mammon. Serve God. Pay your debts, give, and be blessed.

Author's Note: Image the courtesy of versaday.com