Yes, this blog post IS happening, lol.
The great toilet paper debate: Which is the correct direction to put on the roll?
In this debate I was always neutral - I figured as long as the roll made it onto the toilet paper holder we were winning. :) It was always this way in my parent's home and it's never come up in our home (we've been married 11 years and counting). What does this have to do with - frankly anything, right? And surely I'm not going to try to relate this to our walk with Christ, am I? Oh yes, yes I am. Go with me here friends.....
This morning I spun the toilet paper roll with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why the loose end of toilet paper wasn't in my waiting grasp. So I tried it again - what the what?? Yes, this exchange took all of three heartbeats but I was flummoxed. Truth be told, I was annoyed, perplexed, angry and disappointed. Over toilet paper..... really?? Why wasn't my toilet paper roll working? What gives? Who put the toilet paper on backwards?? Wait - did I just think that? Very quickly I spun the toilet paper the other way and all was well.
Let's apply this smaller example to larger issues though shall we....
Example #1:
This morning I went to work with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why my workday was NOT happening the way I expected it to. So I tried it again - what the what?? Why wasn't my workday working? What gives? Who put the wrench in my workday??
Example #2:
This morning I prayed with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why my prayers weren't answered the way I expected. So I prayed it again - what the what?? Why wasn't my prayer working? What gives? Who put the stop to God granting my prayer??
How many times has this happened? We pray for something specific but it doesn't come. We want things to happen a certain way - a job situation, healing of an illness, patience with others, resolution of various circumstances..... Why wasn't my prayer working? What gives? Who told God to stop listening to me??
Just like this morning with the toilet paper roll, often a change in approach (spinning the toilet paper the other way) and all could be well, but truth be told we become annoyed, perplexed, angry and disappointed.
Often, we as Christians have come to focus on verses like 1 John 5:14-15:
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If we only ask it of our Heavenly Father, he will grant it. Like wishes - genie in a bottle, right? "God, I'd like a fast car" and POOF! there's a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport in the driveway (that's for all my other car enthusiasts out there) or how about "God, I'd like to get rid of all my debt" and POOF! you've got the winning combination of numbers for that multi-billion dollar payout. The God I know isn't a fairy god-parent and he certainly doesn't grant wishes.
Why? Because God is all-powerful, limitless, all-knowing, and infallible! To confine God to only granting wishes is ridiculous... like saying Atom bombs are a big firecrackers. Even that doesn't really encompass how ridiculous it is. God knows us (Read Psalm 139) and wants what's best for us (Jeremiah 29). The thing is though that we don't know what's best for us we only know what our sinful nature wants (2 Corinthians 12).
The truth is that God says (Psalm 37:4-6)
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
If the things we ask for are products of our sinful nature, they are not righteous or pleasing to god. How can we delight ourselves in the Lord when we are asking him to give us worldly, perishable things instead of the eternal things of His kingdom? Really..... let's be honest here!
How many times did our parents tell us "That's not a NEED, that's a WANT." I have already seen it in my own life, when I'm not walking in God's will, things do not work out well for me. I can beg and plead with God to give me what I want - and sometimes he does, even though it's not really what I need. When you aren't walking in God's will you will encounter impossible obstacles, and when you ask God to help you, he's going to say "no".
I challenge you to look at your current obstacles and ask yourself if you are really walking in God's will for your life. Not sure? Seek guidance. First - ask God to reveal His will for your life. You can't just say "God, show me your will for my life, please." and then go flip on the TV. The holy spirit still speaks, God still speaks, but you have to be listening. Dig into your bible - God's words to us! Ask the holy spirit to illuminate God's will for you through those words. Look up keywords on Biblegateway.com related to your current situation to find specific places to look in the bible. If you use a study bible, look into what the commentators have to say, read the related verses - SEEK OUT GOD'S WILL FOR YOU!
Because the truth is - just like this morning when I very quickly spun the toilet paper the other way and all was well, you'll find that once you abandon your own ambitions and seek God's will - all will be well. He will provide for your every need, not your every want. You have to learn to depend on God for everything before you have testimony that you can share. You cannot spread the gospel to nations when you don't bother to be a disciple yourself.
And that my friends is how the toilet paper debate relates to your walk with Jesus Christ.
The great toilet paper debate: Which is the correct direction to put on the roll?
This morning I spun the toilet paper roll with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why the loose end of toilet paper wasn't in my waiting grasp. So I tried it again - what the what?? Yes, this exchange took all of three heartbeats but I was flummoxed. Truth be told, I was annoyed, perplexed, angry and disappointed. Over toilet paper..... really?? Why wasn't my toilet paper roll working? What gives? Who put the toilet paper on backwards?? Wait - did I just think that? Very quickly I spun the toilet paper the other way and all was well.
Let's apply this smaller example to larger issues though shall we....
Example #1:
This morning I went to work with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why my workday was NOT happening the way I expected it to. So I tried it again - what the what?? Why wasn't my workday working? What gives? Who put the wrench in my workday??
Example #2:
This morning I prayed with specific expectations. For half a second my brain wasn't processing why my prayers weren't answered the way I expected. So I prayed it again - what the what?? Why wasn't my prayer working? What gives? Who put the stop to God granting my prayer??
How many times has this happened? We pray for something specific but it doesn't come. We want things to happen a certain way - a job situation, healing of an illness, patience with others, resolution of various circumstances..... Why wasn't my prayer working? What gives? Who told God to stop listening to me??
Just like this morning with the toilet paper roll, often a change in approach (spinning the toilet paper the other way) and all could be well, but truth be told we become annoyed, perplexed, angry and disappointed.
Often, we as Christians have come to focus on verses like 1 John 5:14-15:
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If we only ask it of our Heavenly Father, he will grant it. Like wishes - genie in a bottle, right? "God, I'd like a fast car" and POOF! there's a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport in the driveway (that's for all my other car enthusiasts out there) or how about "God, I'd like to get rid of all my debt" and POOF! you've got the winning combination of numbers for that multi-billion dollar payout. The God I know isn't a fairy god-parent and he certainly doesn't grant wishes.
Why? Because God is all-powerful, limitless, all-knowing, and infallible! To confine God to only granting wishes is ridiculous... like saying Atom bombs are a big firecrackers. Even that doesn't really encompass how ridiculous it is. God knows us (Read Psalm 139) and wants what's best for us (Jeremiah 29). The thing is though that we don't know what's best for us we only know what our sinful nature wants (2 Corinthians 12).
The truth is that God says (Psalm 37:4-6)
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
If the things we ask for are products of our sinful nature, they are not righteous or pleasing to god. How can we delight ourselves in the Lord when we are asking him to give us worldly, perishable things instead of the eternal things of His kingdom? Really..... let's be honest here!
How many times did our parents tell us "That's not a NEED, that's a WANT." I have already seen it in my own life, when I'm not walking in God's will, things do not work out well for me. I can beg and plead with God to give me what I want - and sometimes he does, even though it's not really what I need. When you aren't walking in God's will you will encounter impossible obstacles, and when you ask God to help you, he's going to say "no".
I challenge you to look at your current obstacles and ask yourself if you are really walking in God's will for your life. Not sure? Seek guidance. First - ask God to reveal His will for your life. You can't just say "God, show me your will for my life, please." and then go flip on the TV. The holy spirit still speaks, God still speaks, but you have to be listening. Dig into your bible - God's words to us! Ask the holy spirit to illuminate God's will for you through those words. Look up keywords on Biblegateway.com related to your current situation to find specific places to look in the bible. If you use a study bible, look into what the commentators have to say, read the related verses - SEEK OUT GOD'S WILL FOR YOU!
Because the truth is - just like this morning when I very quickly spun the toilet paper the other way and all was well, you'll find that once you abandon your own ambitions and seek God's will - all will be well. He will provide for your every need, not your every want. You have to learn to depend on God for everything before you have testimony that you can share. You cannot spread the gospel to nations when you don't bother to be a disciple yourself.
And that my friends is how the toilet paper debate relates to your walk with Jesus Christ.
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests to made known to God. — Philippians 4:6