Quote:
Originally Posted by james73
But this sort of story really just turns God into an ATM. There were people at the pentecostal in HK like this. One lady lent me a book, and then told me a long long story about how she'd had a big financial problem, and she'd prayed and prayed, and then the guy she previously lent the book to had returned the book, and inside the book was an envelope with a note of thanks and a HK$500 note (around US$65), solving her short-term problem.
She had a hundred of these stories but this was a most blatant hint, IMHO, that I should follow suit and return the book with a gift. Obviously she didn't pray hard enough in my case cos I accidentally gave the book to the charity shop when I had a big clear out…. ooops, sorry lady.
I guess I should make right on that, it was a year ago now. Bad James73, bad!
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The difference between those two stories is one is based on faith while the other is based on works.
In Carol's story the woman asks God to provide for her need out of faith by not communicating her needs to the giver. She is trusting in the unseen promise of God to provide for her.
In your story, the woman is communicating her need for money to you in the context of giving a book. She is trusting in her own work (whereby she requested you for money implicitly) to provide for her and not wholly on what God can do in the unseen realm.
Galatians 5:11
“The righteous shall live by faith.”
In one sense I envy those with no money because they have many more opportunities to live by faith. Yet I also have many experiences where God delivered on a need I asked for that couldn't have been a coincidence.
My favorite biography in this regard is that of Sadhu Sundar Singh, a sikh in India who fully gave his life to Jesus at 14. After his conversion his father tried to poison him, but he hung on to God's promise in Mark 16:18 and survived to the amazement of the doctor (who later accepted Jesus because of this miracle). Sadhu lived a life that followed Jesus' commands literally by selling everything he had and traveled the world preaching the Gospel, especially in Tibet where you could be murdered for preaching. During his travels he brought no money with him but only his clothes and a blanket, yet God provided for his every need as Jesus promised he would.
Mark 6:8
He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Isaiah 55:11
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.