The Dangers of Overemphasizing God's Sovereignty
Balance your understanding.
God is sovereign and man is responsible. But when we lean too far toward God’s sovereignty alone, we drift into passivity, cold religion, laziness in prayer, distorted grace, and even resentment toward God. We lose compassion for people and stop pursuing holiness.
Discover the spiritual dangers of this imbalance and how Scripture calls us to choose God daily, run the race with discipline, intercede passionately, resist sin, and love others deeply.
A balanced understanding restores joy, passion, intimacy with God, and a life of meaningful obedience.
How does this transform us?
We have received great love and mercy from God in His salvation! This should motivate us to be kind and compassionate to others, the way He has been toward us.
Identify people in your daily life that you can show kindness toward. Perhaps it is a poor person you see regularly on the street, or a neighbor who is going through a tough time. Spend time imagining what it must be like for them, how their suffering feels, what it means for their life. Pray that God would display great kindness to them in His sovereignty, and that you would take responsibility to show kindness to them whenever possible.
Then, with the Spirit’s guidance, determine some practical ways to show compassion to these people, and go out and do it!
How could we not respond to God’s mercy except by extending and continuing that mercy on out to every single person around us?