sybn_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Siu-Yan Baldwin Ng) (05/02/91)
Hi everybody,
I am recently with my decision for my future. I don't know if God wants me
to go to grad scholl or to geta job. I just wanna know if anyone can give me
some Scripture support for my question:
"Is God's will fixed already since creation??"
"If I mistaken God's will, then will I be going to a path that isn't what He
planed?"
Thanks,
Baldwin Ng (sybn_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)sl87m@cc.usu.edu (The Barking Pumpkin Digital Gratification Ensemble) (05/07/91)
In article <May.2.04.32.12.1991.2262@athos.rutgers.edu>, sybn_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Siu-Yan Baldwin Ng) writes: > Hi everybody, > > I am recently with my decision for my future. I don't know if God wants me > to go to grad scholl or to geta job. I just wanna know if anyone can give me > some Scripture support for my question: > > "Is God's will fixed already since creation??" Am I understanding you correctly -- do you mean predestination? If so, I'd run from that notion. Man has his free will to choose (but not to choose the consequences of those choices). I find the idea that we have no choice, and that God has already relegated us to Heaven or Hell rather unjust for a just God. If that's not what you mean, ignore.... > "If I mistaken God's will, then will I be going to a path that isn't what He > planed?" There are cases where God's answer is "suit yourself. Either of these options will be good." I'm not saying that this is your answer, but in my life, there have been those types of answers. I find these the most frustrating, but sometimes a parent's got to let his kids think for themselves. When either decision isn't going to adversely affect them, and especially when either one will benefit, the children learn and grow. Some thoughts, TZMattareyay
oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Brian T. Coughlin) (05/11/91)
Re: Baldwin Ng In article <May.2.04.32.12.1991.2262@athos.rutgers.edu>, sybn_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Siu-Yan Baldwin Ng) writes: >I am recently with my decision for my future. I don't know if God wants me >to go to grad scholl or to geta job. I just wanna know if anyone can give me >some Scripture support for my question: > > "Is God's will fixed already since creation??" > "If I mistaken God's will, then will I be going to a path that isn't what He > planed?" Hi, Baldwin! (Is that right?) In my opinion, there are several different ways in which God can "call" someone to a specific task, vocation, or what-have-you; some of them can happen simultaneously. For instance, all people are called by God to live a virtuous, selfless, loving life. If one chooses to ignore THAT type of calling, then yes, I'd say that one would then be going on a path NOT planned for you by God. But you seem to be talking about a sort of "career" calling: that is, "What am I to do with the next few years of my life?" In that, I think, there's a lot more leeway. I would say that it doesn't matter so much WHERE you go in the next few years, but rather HOW you choose to live during that time, in those circumstances. If one goes to grad school and is miserable, one has a few choices: stay and gripe, stay and endure bravely, leave in disgust and despair, leave with humble acceptance, and so on. Likewise if one is stuck in an unsatisfying job. HOW one lives with respect to Christian faith is MUCH more important than WHERE one chooses to live (i.e. what location, what job, et cet.). Along those lines: if God truly DOES mean for you to enter a particular career vocation, you'll know it... just listen to God in prayer, and He'll tell you quite clearly (in one way or another) where He wants you to go. Just be honest with yourself and with Him, and all worldly details will be solved in due time. Admittedly, the above isn't explicitly Scriptural. However, I believe that it's sound advice; it was given to me by many dear friends during my own search for vocation (which ultimately ended on the road to priesthood), and it helped me immeasurably. If you'd like a Scriptural basis for this, one passage comes to mind: "Prophesies will cease, tongues will be silent, knowledge will pass away. [...] There are, in the end, three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:8,13) As to your questions: "Is God's Will fixed since Creation?" I truly believe that that's an unanswerable question for anyone still clothed in mortal flesh. We know, through virtue of our faith, that God's Will will ultimately bring about the best possible justice and harmony for all, regardless of whether we perceive God's will as immutable or not... and that's all that's truly important. "If I take a mistaken road, isn't that going against God's plan for me?" When one talks of a "path" of righteous living, yes and no. Yes, in the sense than ANY sin turns one away from God. No, in the sense that one can learn valuable lessons from the sin-repentance-reconciliation cycle, such as humility, faith, trust in God, and so on. (This isn't meant to say that sin is good; it's meant to stress that God can pull good out of any situation... no matter how bad... provided that we're open to His Will.) When one talks of a "career" vocation, there ISN'T any such thing as a "mistaken road", usually. One has only to do the best that one can in the career that one has, and that is sufficient. If God has special plans for your career, He'll let you know. All one need do is take the time to listen. :) I hope this helps! Take care! Sincerely, Brian Coughlin oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu