God's Way Out of the Chaos

Without God in our life, we are ruled by our faulty human nature. God is all around us, controlling every atom and every molecule, but we are blind and deaf to the reality of our almighty loving creator.

We are like a ship at sea without reliable maps or compass, navigating by guesswork.
We have made such a mess of this planet. If we were not so bad, we would not need police or armies.

We have brought the planet to the brink of ruin with pollution and climate change. Political disputes are making it impossible to repair the damage.

But if God is really in control, why does he allow us to mess everything up?
When God created the first man and woman, he authorised them to rule the planet. 

 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Gen 1:27–28 NRSV

The man and woman were supposed to rule the world under the loving guidance of God, but when they mistrusted and disobeyed God, they embarked on a disastrous course of stubborn independence.

We know the popular song, “I did it my way.” It never worked without God. Some people have achieved great things this way, but in the end we all die, and what happens after that?

God loves you and he wants you to live with him for ever in his heavenly home.

The prospects for this planet without God are looking worse and worse every year, but God still loves every man, woman and child.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Jn 3:16–17 NRSV

If you give up your independence and put your life in God’s hands, Jesus will be your guide and your loving friend.

Hidden Diamonds in the Mud

 My mother's cellar was flooded. Many of her personal belongings were ruined, including some of her jewellery because the silver was corroded. My cousin and my mother searched for diamonds in the mud.

In the Bible, silver is sometimes a symbol of human nature. Silver is valuable, but it can also be corrupted. After the fall of man, we are all corrupted, but we were originally created in God's image.

This quote from the letter of James shows both aspects of our corrupt human nature.

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Jas 3:8–9 NIV

We must look for the diamonds in corrupt humanity, the traces of the image of God.

John Dawson was a missionary in Los Angeles who came from New Zealand. He wanted to win the manager of a porn shop for Jesus. He explained how Jesus died for our sins and that Jesus wanted to forgive his sins. The man agreed, but he would not or could not meet Jesus himself and receive him personally.

Then John Dawson received a new insight from the Holy Spirit.

He told the man that although he was a tough guy on the outside, he was secretly soft and sensitive on the inside. God had implanted mercy in him. As a porn dealer, he passed on comfort, but false comfort. He had the potential to encourage and comfort people.

New hope sprang up in his heart and he placed his life in God's hands.

Do you see chaos and shame in your life story?

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28 NASB95

Joyce Meyer was sexually abused by her father for years. Her life fell apart. Her first marriage was a disaster. But she believed in Jesus and God rebuilt her life.

She has been helping many emotionally wounded women for years. Through her traumatic experiences, she understands the path to recovery for broken women. That's why she can now be grateful for her trauma.

She has found diamonds in the chaotic mud of her life story. She can now pass these diamonds on to help others.