Hello everyone!
This coming Sunday’s wrongly-attributed-to-the-Bible scripture is “God helps those who help themselves,” which is a bit of a complex idea with a lot of various interpretations.
The phrase sounds somewhat like Biblical wisdom and is spoken often in both Christian and non-Christian circles. Have you heard this saying used very often? Have you ever spoken it?
How is the concept of “God helps those who help themselves” reflected or not in scripture? We’ll be looking into Mark 1:16-20; Matthew 25:31-40 and II Thessalonians 3:11-13 for some thoughts regarding this.
We’ll also discuss what God’s role is in helping people overcome challenges. How do we balance personal responsibility with faith in God’s power? Does God help the helpless?
It appears to me that the gospel is all about sacrificial love; it’s about loving your neighbor as you love yourself. Self-help ideas aren’t part of gospel. And phrases like “God helps those who help themselves” are quite contrary to the Jesus’ teaching. Do we believe in the power of God to transform lives for the better? Let’s delve into this more together on Sunday.
Pastor Connie
