SNOWBALLS FROM HEAVEN

On June 4, 2010, I wrote about how something little can "snowball" into a huge problem. Floods begin with a single drop of water. Sin and death began with a single bite of fruit (Rom. 5:12). On the other hand, something little can "snowball" into something wonderful. Pearls begin with a single grain of sand. Salvation and eternal life begin with a single confession (Rom. 10:9-10). We decide whether the "miraculous growth" of something small into something huge is good or bad based upon the outcome. If it pleases man, it is recognized as being a good thing; conversely, if it displeases us, we do not hesitate to declare it a bad thing.

But what do we say about something that makes some people happy and others angry? Is the majority opinion therefore good? The answer is no! The majority wanted Jesus to be crucified. At one time, the majority believed Blacks were inferior. The majority of members of the Supreme Court view abortion as a woman's right. The majority of Congress voted to bankrupt our nation by spending more in one year than all the previous two hundred thirty-three years of our nation's history combined. I am proud of our nation for being willing to elect a Black President. I would guess that few, if any, ever dreamed that the efforts of Blacks and Whites to end discrimination would one day lead to us to this historical outcome. And even though President Barack Hussein Obama was elected by the majority over a year ago, today the majority of Americans believe he is the wrong man for the job, Black or White. So, in a sense, whether something is either good or bad depends on which day one evaluates it. What was good a year ago is, according to the majority, no longer good today.

Fortunately for Christians, the determination of whether something is good or bad is "set in stone" (pardon the pun). God provided man with a list of things He determined to be either good or bad. The Ten Commandments tell us that God, God's name, the Sabbath, and honoring one's parents are good (Exod. 20:2; 7; 8-11; and 12). Having other gods, killing, committing adultery, stealing, being a false witness, and coveting are bad (Exod. 20:3-6; 13; 14; 15; 16; and 17). We also have the Lord's command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, written in "red letters" (Matt. 5:43-48; 7:12; and 22:39-40). Add to these the words of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 13:8-10; 1 Thes. 3:11-13; 1 Tim. 1:5), and those of the Apostle John (1 Jn. 3:23), and we have a clear understanding of what God views as good.

So what does all of this have to do with "snowballs from heaven?" Even those things that Satan does or inspires, those "snowballs from hell," are ultimately good for the Christian. ALL things work together for good to them who love God (Rom. 8:28)! Swimming pools, illness, poverty, wars, the courts, the congress, the President, everything is used of God to conform us into the likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:29). So be of good cheer, what doesn't kill you can only make you more like Christ (and so does death - 1 Jn. 3:2). We need only to learn what it is that God is trying to teach us, and praise Him IN it.