Much of the Bible seems to
contradict itself if you're looking at it on the surface level. But that is
because truth is multi-faceted.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth (Exodus 21:24). Truth: Sin is serious. God is just, and every sin has a
consequence.
Turn the other cheek (Matthew
5:38-39). Truth: God is gracious and patient. Jesus has taken the punishment
for our sins if we will receive Him. We are called to follow in His example by
being gracious and forgiving toward others.
You cannot enter the Kingdom of God
unless you receive it like a child (Mark 10:15). Truth: You cannot earn
entrance into the Kingdom but must receive it by grace through faith. You must
recognize your utter dependence on God.
The Kingdom has been forcefully
advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12). Truth: Christianity
is not passive. It requires commitment, discipline, passion, action.
There are many more examples of
apparent contradictions in the Bible, but the point I want to get to is that truth also looks different in different seasons. God doesn't change, but His strategy does adapt to fit the circumstances or the lesson He is teaching us. Sometimes we are to wait and watch Him deliver us, and sometimes we are to get up and fight. Sometimes we are to lean on Him to provide, and
sometimes we are to set out fully prepared. Sometimes we are to be gentle and
humble, and other times, we are to be bold. I can think of so many instances of
these different seasons in the Bible, but I will include just one here, where
Jesus is talking to His disciples: “Then Jesus asked them, ‘When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack
anything?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you
don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one’ " (Luke
22:35-36).
Just because God worked one way in your life before doesn’t mean He will work the same way in this season. Just because He gave you certain instructions in the past doesn’t mean you can continue on as before. Just because He worked a certain way for your friend doesn't mean that's how he's going to make it happen for you. We always have to be open to what He is doing and saying right now, to us. That means constantly seeking His face and laying our own plans and expectations aside. I could give you many stories about the ways I've failed in this area, but I’ll let you inspect your own life. What can you learn from past mistakes? And more importantly, what is God saying to you now?
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." -Ecclesiastes 3:1
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and in all your ways
acknowledge him, and
he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6
