Daily Post: Fortune
One of my favorite cuisines is Chinese or Thai food. I have several restaurants which I frequent and rotate between, all of which have one thing in common. After the meal, when the check arrives, it is always accompanied by fortune cookies. I find them humorous mostly, with the occasional thought provoking one pricking my mind. There are some pretty funny and yet profound thoughts that go onto these little slips of paper, hidden inside the vanilla crunchy cookie. For example:
“A good beginning is only half done.”
“A journey of 1,ooo miles begins with one step.” ~ Lao Tzu
“A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.” ~Ben Franklin
“A bashful admirer will soon be revealed”
“All people smile in the same language.”
“Change before you have to.”
Fortune cookie fortunes are generally universal in nature; applying generally to all us in one or another stage of life. However, the answers to life are not often found in a fortune cookie. The serendipitous idea that on the exact day that I need a solution I should go to my local Chinese restaurant, order my favorite dish, knowing and believing that the fortune which lands in my hands as I pay the bill will be the exact answer to my desperate need… well, can you see how ludicrous this sounds? The statistical chances of you’re finding the wealth, means, or desires of your heart on this tiny slip of revealed paper is astronomical.
The Bible unequivocally states that God is the Author of Life. Therefore any meaning or purpose we find in life, any resources we have for living the life which God provides, is found in the Bible. When individual human beings turn to their Divine Creator for answers to the issues or problems they face in this life, when they seek Him with all their hearts, they will find the answers that God providentially has stored for them. I’m not just being trite or naive here, I believe this statement with all my heart. Psalm 119:2 “How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.”
I’ve heard many preachers tongue-in-cheek talk about how God can even tell you what car to buy. Acts 2:1 [KJV] “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord together in one place.” It’s funny… but it means they were all together and like-minded, not sitting in a Honda. Most preachers would never use this verse this way in a literal sense of what automobile to purchase. On the other hand, there are way too many preachers and teachers who have wandered down the path of the “name it and claim it” gospel, where all one has to do is include the name “Jesus” at the end of a prayer to get everything they want in this life. This heretical teaching is counter-intuitive to what the Bible authentically teaches.
The Word of God, the Bible, is about the Creator’s divine provision and protection, guidance and sustenance, blessing and disciplining of those who call themselves children of God. We do not worry about our fortune, our destiny, or the size of our estate. No one will take these things with them into the life which follows death. Our providential care comes from the author of Life. I do not need a fortune cookie to tell me what happens next, or where to look for answers. In the famous words of Andrae Crouch (1942-2015), in the song which says it all, “Jesus is the Answer.”
Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there’s no other,
Jesus is the way.
If you have some questions
In the corners of your mind,
Traces of discouragement,
and peace you cannot find,
Reflections of your past,
Seem to face you everyday,
But there’s one thing I want you to know,
that Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there’s no other,
Jesus is the way.
I know that you’ve got mountains,
That you think you cannot climb,
I know your skies looks so dark,
That you think the sun will never ever shine,
But in case you don’t know it,
I tell you God’s word is true,
Everything that he has promised,
I know that he will do it for you.
Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there’s no other,
Jesus is the way.
As I was saying... 