Does the Bible Teach about Good Luck and Bad Luck?
CONVERSATIONS:
People often go through life fearful of what tomorrow might bring. To minimize the pains or failures we fear, we tend to find ways to explain or take control of the things that happen to us. One of the ways people do that is by explaining events in our lives in terms of "luck." The dictionary defines "luck" as "a force that brings good fortune or adversity: chance." Not only do we attribute things that happen to us as a matter of "good luck" or "bad luck", there are even ways we try to control the kind of luck that happens to us.
What are some ways you know that people try to control the luck or fortune that comes to them?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
In what ways have you sought to understand and explain the things that happen in your life?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________ But the Bible does not teach us about luck. Instead of teaching us about an impersonal force that brings good fortune or adversity, the Bible tells us:
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Prov.16:9) We may make our own plans, but God is sovereign even beyond our plans and best efforts.
Joseph, the young man betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, understood the tribulations in his life this way: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Gen. 50: 20) Even with and beyond men's intentions toward us, God is sovereignly in control of our lives. He is purposeful.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Though things may look bad on the outside, whatever happens, keep trusting that He's orchestrating things for you - for good, according to His purpose.
We do not need to live in constant fear of the future. We do not need to resort to controlling our "luck" , nor do we need to fight to ensure that things go our way. There is a God, and He invites us to a relationship with Him. The God who invites us is loving and sovereign, and works all things for our good, according to His purpose for us. Between some unseen, capricious, impersonal force like "luck", our own efforts, and even man's plans against us -- with His good purposes and His power, His sovereignty and love for us -- isn't God the One worth entrusting ourselves to?
What response do you think God wants you to make as a result of learning that He is sovereign and loving and works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes?
- I believe God wants me to give up the ways I try to control my "luck" (such as _______________) and to entrust my life to Him instead.
- I want to have a personal relationship with God. I want to trust Him instead of constantly living in fear of what luck might befall me.
- God's heart for me is good. God wants me to trust Him beyond my current circumstances.
- ?I will trust God beyond my own plans and best efforts. I will stop wresting the control of my life from God.
How should your decision above change how you live each day?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Share your decision with someone who you know is walking by faith, and pray with that person for your resolve to entrust your life to God.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Let's pray:
Father, thank You for helping us understand that You are in control of our lives, and that You are lovingly working for our good, according to Your good purposes. Help us to trust in You and You alone, no matter what circumstances we face. Help our hearts to rest in you and in Your good purposes toward us. In Jesus name. Amen.
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
