Many times I've heard it said, "Well, God's in control. We can't do anything to fix all these problems. Whatever will be will be." I believe that God is sitting in Heaven, saying to Jesus, "WHY can't they understand? WHEN will they act like sons instead of spoiled toddlers?!" Look with me, if you will, to the Word of God.
Is God in control?
Yes, He controls the universe: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV). God is the Supreme Authority, the Creator, Lord, Giver of Life, Eternal and PreExistent Majesty, YHWH! He is in supreme control of the universe. Not one molecule, one electron, not one thing, would exist without Him. Without the “Word of His Power,” everything that is would completely disintegrate in a nanosecond.
Is man in control?
Yes, we control, or at least impact, what happens on earth. In the beginning, God gave Adam dominion (control) over the earth. (Genesis 1)
To understand the level of God’s involvement on earth, look at what God said when He had heard about Sodom and Gomorrah … “Then the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know’” (Genesis 18:20-21 ESV). He had apparently left Sodom and Gomorrah in someone else’s control, to the extent that he had to come down to the earth to see.
Mankind has not taken care of the earth as we should, and I’m talking about so much more than being “green”. By not taking care of the earth, I mean we have done immoral acts, we have shed innocent blood, we have made a mess of things. When Cain killed Abel, “the LORD said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength’” (Genesis 4:10-12 ESV). We see here that when we abuse and misuse one another, we cause the earth itself to revolt against us.
The earth is waiting for the sons of God to take their rightful place. “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:19-22 ESV). Note “the creation” that Paul speaks of here is not man, because in the next verse, he says, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23 ESV). So the creation itself is waiting on us.
Is man in control?
Yes, we control our own destinies. We decide if we’re going to be ruler of our own lives, or if we’re going to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
In a nutshell, the earth is waiting for the sons of God to rise up and BE sons of God. It waits for us to stop fighting among ourselves, to love God, love our neighbors, and love other Christians, whatever denomination they may be. Our true common denominator is the LORD Jesus Christ. We need to give up our rights and submit to the LORD Jesus. Think of what an impact Jesus the man made on the earth when He was alive, and think of what an impact the apostles made after that. WE CAN make a difference. WE CAN BE the difference!
Davina
