Volume 48 Number 12 December 2006
When God created man, He did not create man as an equal. Since God is perfect, He has neither fault nor flaw. God gave men certain abilities which man would need to carry out the wishes of God. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave each person different abilities and at different strengths. He knew that if all men were of equal abilities there would be conflict and no need for each other. We have seen evidence of this in the history of man. He wanted man to have a need for each other. Needing someone else creates a need to be humble, the exact requirement needed to be in the presence of the Lord forever. God wants us to realize that we need Him, and one another!
When we are born, God gives us certain abilities, and as time goes forward, He will either add to them, or subtract from them. It all depends on the circumstances under which we live and how we use our abilities. Unfortunately, man has been taught to take pride in their abilities and how to take advantage of those with lesser abilities. But not by God. God has come to the aid of men with lesser abilities to help them to overcome the abuse. God sent down His son to show and provide men an escape from misuse of man’s abilities.
The word for lesser abilities can be disabilities. We are born with some and develop some over time. The Lord exchanges some of our abilities and I am an example of that. Those with disabilities develop ways to avoid or overcome them. They learn to cope. Mine causes me to avoid public speaking. So I overcome it by writing. We always think of our disabilities as great but as I look around I find that in many cases, there are worse. Some people feel uncomfortable around someone with a disability. They don’t know how to act, and even sometimes attack. They try to discredit such a person, but I wish to point something out to them from
James 3:9,10: “With tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brother this should not be.” The Lord does not like criticism of His work. It is not a good way to obtain a room in God’s house. I can not remember chapter and verse of the Bible and I hold those who can in high regard. Many times I can not make an exact quote. I am thankful that it is not an exact requirement of the Lord.Every once in a while the Lord has to point out our faults so we can still stay humble and need of Him. We have a brother who is an example of righteousness but had begun to depend upon his abilities, and the Lord had to humble him. The brother fully acknowledged the action of the Lord and gave Him the praise and glory God deserves. This is to say, do your best but call upon the Lord to do the rest. I received this advice when I reached the stage in my life where I was headed out to face the world on my own. My mother told me, “You may not be the smartest nor the fastest but do the best you can and Let the Lord do the rest”. As I look back that is the way it happened. She also said “Don’t put any job below you and learn anything that someone is willing to teach you.” This too, was a big help. I realize now that she got this wisdom from the association with God’s word in her younger years and experience over the years. Like many, she got away from it for awhile, but it was always there and she returned to it. That is why I enjoy the teaching of the young ones in our church.
Some people see the Lord as an authoritarian, others see Him as a doting Father, others see Him as a friend and others as an enemy. God is all of these things. It is how we look at Him that determines what we see. We all fear Him, whether we accept Him or reject Him.
If you are having a hard time coping with this world and wish to find a better place, there is someone looking for you with a better offer. True, there is a price to pay, but as I said before, “Something is only worth the price you pay for it”. It is a better offer than anywhere else.
I looked forward to when I reached adulthood, so I could have a family and be a dad. But the Lord’s plan was different than mine. I got my family, it was a family that wants to be my family, instead of having to be. This makes me feel greatly honored. I now understand how the Lord feels when He is surrounded by His family. A family that wants to be His family. God has put a great effort into this goal. We must never forget what His Son went through to help His Father to achieve His dream. If we do our part, the Lord will do His part. The Lord laid down the house rules and if we want to live in His house, we had better learn the rules and follow them.
Let us recognize our disabilities - inabilities - and depend upon the One with all the abilities!