To be or not to be?
Nobody is, everybody becomes. God is forever and ever. He is the same.
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.
Exo 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You shall tell the children of Israel this: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Who would you like to be!?
If you do ask parents the reason why they put their kids in school, few would say because they just want their kids to be more educated. The main reason for someone to study is to become “somebody” in their lives. Most of the parents wouldn’t say that they want their kids to discover a vocation or a “call”.
With this kind of mindset parents try to help children to establish and pursue some goals for their lives. These goals generally are related to “earn money” ,to “survive”, “better life” than parents or to at least “keeping the family status Quo”. It is not absolute wrong to think like this. However if we want to become someone, or somebody just based in our ability to make money, we can face some risks.
1-This goal can take total control of yourself and become a obsession or compulsion. 1Co 6:12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything
2- Money or richness can become our priority.
1Ti 6:9 But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
Mat 6:26 See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
Nowadays parents are asking their children; what would you like to be? Who do you want to become? If they understood the vision God have to their children they would ask; “do you know Who God does want you to become?”
As the time has passed, I have actually learned that I am not, but day by day I’m “becoming someone”. Maybe this “someone” I will become could be a little different of the one I thought I would like to become. Could I be better? Could I be worse?
The important think to ask is : “How does it connect to Gods plan to my life?”
God can provide the ways to make us change and become. In the past children used to hear about their vocation, like a “call” to life. Everybody’s profession was considered a call. When you consider your profession a call, it supposes that there was God’s provision and life perspective for you. Act 2:39 “For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
Everybody has a call or a vocation and a reason to exist.This is one my strong beliefs. That's whay I spend time among the communities and try to make a good influence over teh kids and the impoverished population.
People today lost this idea of having a call (or vocation). They want to “improve” their life status at any cost. They want to buy their happiness at any cost. They want to buy their “well being” at any cost. Even the church is affected by the culture of the “consuming society” trough its theology of prosperity or prosperity Gospel. However Th 4:7 “For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.”
2Th 1:11 To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power;
Are there good outcomes on this need to become someone instead of just being someone as human beings?
We could find some answers in the bible.
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.
1- First good reason – We are not animals. We do not need to live just by our instincts or family “tendencies”. When we are hungry on street we don’t just break into a store and stolen things( do we?). The societies have created rules that we learn that avoid life to be wild among us human beings. This is a learning process and we all heard about this specially under the education. The fact that we are not, but we need to become, means that the fatalism is not real. The predestination is not a fate. We can become the one we allow God to turn us into. This is what we call a new birth. You are not obligated to live as you are living now.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the Kingdom of God."
I have founded in my spiritual journey that predestination is not real not becausewe were made according to God's image and we can become like Him.
Everybods has lost this image even the "Heathens". But we lost this image because of the sin. We need to born again in order to get this image back. It is kind like loose the father’s character. The theology of trhe Bible is the theology of the grace and the other is the Calvinism.
It means that God can change anyone what seems to be unchangeable to become someone new. He or she is not preordained to sin. We can choose to be a sinner and then loose the right to be saved by the transforming Grace of God.
Rom 12:2 Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
2- Another good thing; Each one of us is responsible for his/her own sin.
Eze 18:19 Yet say you, Why does not the son bear the iniquity of the father? when the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.
Eze 18:20 The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.
It means God has good plans for each of us, even if we do not correspond to His almighty will. It also means that the “predestination” of the “genes” or the “curses” can be broken. We may “choose” what or who we will become. To be good or not, evil, it is a matter of choice for our lives instead of being just a product or result of the environment. You may have the genes for becoming the new Paganini but if you never see a violin or even ever hear it you will never become a violin player.
Jesus said that everyday we do have a choice for the way we do live and behave. Luk 9:23 He said to all, Luk 9:23 And he said to them all,If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Somebody might have told us in the past we were bad by nature or we came from a bad
family background or even bad race or people. We could think or even believe we were
not worth to be someone. Maybe our parents were bad, our environment was not good
enough, so in theory we should become a bad person. But for God we can choose not to
be bad, if we allow God to transform us to become somebody.
3- The third thing the grace means that we must always count on Gods provision for our lives to become someone He would like us to be.
Php 3:12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
However we do have limits. We cannot intend to be greater then we are. Sometimes we do have the tendency to try to become Gods. As a doctor I now several situation we are tempted to act like Gods.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
Mar 10:43 But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant.
God is. He is the one the almighty one. This is a matter of Choice.
God is the only one that is. He is. We can become His image again.
That's why I come as Evangemed to the people and invite them to serve God.
Jos 24:15 If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh."
Rev 17:14 These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. They also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful."
Your servant
Wilson Bonfim
