"Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?
Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?"
Alma 26:17-19
I've heard a lot of discussion about, and have discussed here, the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" That's an important question, and something that it is important to know as we immerse ourselves in the gospel and a relationship with God. We have to know why we are here, and what to expect. The question posed in these verses I think is just as important, but something that we discuss less often... and that question is "Why do good things happen to bad people?"
These verses are referring to a time in the lives of the men talking where they were trying to destroy the church, and at the time of these verses they have changed their ways and gone on missions to try to make things right with God. They turned their lives around, and they worked hard to become better men than they had been before, and make up for the evil they had done.
So, the answer to both question is really the same, right? None of us is all bad or all good yet. God gives us a lifetime to prepare to meet him. He gives us space and time to repent and change. That not only means that we are going to do bad things in our lives, and hopefully also good things as we learn and repent and grow, but that other people in the world with us are going to experience those bad things when we do them. In order to give us space to repent, other people sometimes have to suffer. And in order for other people to have space to repent, sometimes we have to suffer. (And of course we learn a lot through trials too, so it is part of the plan.)
I'm not saying that I understand all of the suffering in the world and why God stops some things and not others, or saves one person and not another, etc. But I do know that it all works out in the end, and that our blessings and joy in eternity will swallow up any level of pain and suffering in this life. God *will* make things right, for everyone.
Today, instead of worrying about why God allows our suffering, let's switch up our perspective, and think about why he doesn't punish our sins. ... Eventually, all of us are going to firm up into the good and bad camps. (Hint: choose the good side.) ... Judgment day will come, but first God allows us all some time to learn, to repent, and to try, try again. Let's take full advantage of that opportunity, and let's get in there and learn to become better and kinder and closer to God.
Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?"
Alma 26:17-19
I've heard a lot of discussion about, and have discussed here, the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" That's an important question, and something that it is important to know as we immerse ourselves in the gospel and a relationship with God. We have to know why we are here, and what to expect. The question posed in these verses I think is just as important, but something that we discuss less often... and that question is "Why do good things happen to bad people?"
These verses are referring to a time in the lives of the men talking where they were trying to destroy the church, and at the time of these verses they have changed their ways and gone on missions to try to make things right with God. They turned their lives around, and they worked hard to become better men than they had been before, and make up for the evil they had done.
So, the answer to both question is really the same, right? None of us is all bad or all good yet. God gives us a lifetime to prepare to meet him. He gives us space and time to repent and change. That not only means that we are going to do bad things in our lives, and hopefully also good things as we learn and repent and grow, but that other people in the world with us are going to experience those bad things when we do them. In order to give us space to repent, other people sometimes have to suffer. And in order for other people to have space to repent, sometimes we have to suffer. (And of course we learn a lot through trials too, so it is part of the plan.)
I'm not saying that I understand all of the suffering in the world and why God stops some things and not others, or saves one person and not another, etc. But I do know that it all works out in the end, and that our blessings and joy in eternity will swallow up any level of pain and suffering in this life. God *will* make things right, for everyone.
Today, instead of worrying about why God allows our suffering, let's switch up our perspective, and think about why he doesn't punish our sins. ... Eventually, all of us are going to firm up into the good and bad camps. (Hint: choose the good side.) ... Judgment day will come, but first God allows us all some time to learn, to repent, and to try, try again. Let's take full advantage of that opportunity, and let's get in there and learn to become better and kinder and closer to God.
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