Gods Sabbath

C HAPTER 8

Successes and Failures W hen the responsibility of plan making is left solely to God, then His work is a total success. The study of Israel’s expe riences establishes this truth that only when He is the Maker of both the general and specific orders, can His work be successful ly accomplished. When His people take over that role of planning either their general or specific orders to any degree, then to that extent God’s work ceases to advance and loss—often severe—is experienced. These truths, therefore, warn us to take the utmost care not to usurp His position. If we abstain from planning our own lives or God’s cause and instead leave this to the great Mas ter alone, we can experience a peace of mind not thought possi ble before. Furthermore, success will attend all our ways. Despite the convincing clarity of many witnesses, some tend to view this proposition with concern. They argue that God has given them the ability to plan, organize, manage, and solve problems. They contend that if they do not exercise these talents, they will cease to be full human beings and become mere automatons in the Almighty’s hands. They fear that they will be denied the proper ex ercise of their abilities to organize, plan, and execute—an arrange ment which they are sure will not only infringe on their rights, but will shrink them to puppet-like beings. They see this as the end of all real development, stunting mental and spiritual growth.

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