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THE CONCEPT OF LUCK
Are We Living As Pawns Of Random Chance?
I think it safe to say that far more people believe in “luck” than
those who do not! Most are convinced things happen in life that are purely
random in nature and no other explanation is possible. So if a specific
incident has a tragic outcome and someone loses their life, we often hear it
said of them that they were “unlucky.” They were just in the wrong place at the
right time and a tree fell on them! Or perhaps they were involved in a traffic
“accident,” contracted a deadly illness, etc.
While on the other side of the coin we have what is considered to be
“good luck.” Out of the blue someone wins a million dollars in the Publisher’s
Clearing House Sweepstakes or oil is discovered on their property. They walk
away unscathed from a horrendous plane crash or go through a fierce military
battle without getting a scratch. And the word most of us use to describe such
incidents is FORTUNATE, which is derived from the word “fortune”
and is defined in the dictionary as “A hypothetical, often personified force or
power that favorably or unfavorably controls the events of one’s life.”
But is that definition Scriptural? Does the Word of God allow for a concept called “luck?” The answer may surprise you!
“The lot is cast into the lap, but the
decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really
ordered by Him]” Proverbs 16:33
(Amplified Bible).
“Casting lots” in the Bible was similar to our “drawing straws” or “flipping a coin” in that it was a considered to be a fair way to select someone or make an arbitrary decision. Numbers or other inscriptions were made on small stones, tiles or pebbles, which were then cast like dice. The result was mathematically random and determined who was chosen or what action was taken. And even today those selected by similar procedures often feel they are “unlucky”—especially if there is an unpleasant or dangerous task associated with it. But the point we must not miss is that God says the outcome is determined by Him and luck has nothing to do with it!
The Supreme Being the Bible refers to as “God” is absolutely
sovereign in the affairs of men and if you doubt that assertion, please consider
the following passages:
Then Job answered and said,
2 Yes, I know it is true. But how can mortal man be right before
God?
3 If one should want to contend with Him, he cannot answer one [of
His questions] in a thousand.
4 [God] is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has [ever]
hardened himself against Him and prospered or even been safe?
5 [God] Who removes the mountains, and they know it not when He
overturns them in His anger;
6 Who shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars of it
tremble;
7 Who commands the sun, and it rises not; Who seals up the stars
[from view];
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the waves and
high places of the sea;
9 Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the [loose
cluster] Pleiades, and the [vast starry] spaces of the south;
10 Who does great things past finding out, yes, marvelous things
without number.
11 Behold, He goes by me, and I see Him not; He passes on also, but
I perceive Him not.
12 Behold, He snatches away; who can hinder or turn Him
back? Who will say to Him, What are You doing? Job 9:1-12 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
“You shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; you shall be made to eat grass as do the oxen and you shall be wet with the dew of the heavens; and seven times [or years] shall pass over you until you learn and know and recognize that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will” Daniel 4:25 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
“And all the inhabitants of the earth are
accounted as nothing. And He does according to His will in the host of
heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or
say to Him, What are You doing?” Daniel
4:35 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
“For He says to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have
compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then [God’s gift] is not a question of human will and human
effort, but of God’s mercy. [It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his
strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God’s having mercy on him.]
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this
very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you, so that My name may
be proclaimed the whole world over.
18 So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He
hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills.
19 You will say to me, Why then does He still find fault and
blame us [for sinning]? For who can resist and withstand His will?
20 But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict
and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it,
Why have you made me thus?
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same
mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and
honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and
dishonorable use?
22 What if God, although fully intending to show [the awfulness of]
His wrath and to make known His power and authority, has tolerated
with much patience the vessels (objects) of [His] anger which are ripe for
destruction?” Romans 9:15-22 (Amplified
Bible, emphasis mine).
My friend, everything that takes place within the created universe is either (1) directly caused by God or (2) allowed to take place according to His will—and the human concept of luck is totally false! This principle is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ saying that not even a sparrow (sometimes purchased and used as an offering in those days by the poor) will fall to the ground in death without His permission.
“Are
not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to
the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice” Matthew 10:29 (Amplified Bible).
In other words no detail is too
small (or too large) to be outside His control and this brings up all kinds
questions in the minds of those who do not understand the fact of His absolute
sovereignty. For instance: someone
emailed me recently about a related topic and my answer caused him quite a bit
of consternation because I said that 100% of the evil leaders this world has
seen or will see in the future—the Roman emperors, Hitler, Stalin, Chairman
Mao, the antichrist, etc—were, or will be, put in their positions by God
and the following passages state that concept clearly:
“Let every person be loyally subject to the
governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by
His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s
appointment. Romans 13:1 (Amplified
Bible, emphasis mine).
“The Lord has made everything [to accommodate
itself and contribute] to its own end and His own purpose—even the
wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity and evil” Proverbs 16:4 (Amplified Bible).
“I form the light and create darkness, I
make peace [national well-being] and I create [physical] evil (calamity); I
am the Lord, Who does all these things” Isaiah
45:7 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
Before the first atom was spoken
into existence, God had a plan for this world that would be fulfilled to the
very letter. And His people need to understand that the plan continues to
unfold according to His will, not ours. Because all the things of life
that happen to us, whether good and bad, were predetermined and ultimately work
together for good to the genuine believer:
“We are assured and know that [God
being a partner in their labor] all things
work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and
for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and
purpose” Romans 8:28 (Amplified Bible,
emphasis mine).
My friend, no believer passes through this life on “a bed of roses” and escapes all pain and suffering. Some of the things that happen to us are definitely bad and hard to endure, but we can take heart in the fact that all of them taken as a whole—both good and bad—work together in God’s plan for ultimate good. And what is so hard for some to understand is that our suffering may be intended to influence others, while we receive no relief nor reward this side of heaven. The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ is the perfect illustration of that principle, so if present circumstances are making your future look bleak and hopeless the Word of God says to look at it as a reason for joy!
“Consider it wholly
joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials
of any sort or fall into various temptations” James 1:2 (Amplified Bible).
Where the genuine believer is concerned, the basis for joy amid suffering is that God is using you to achieve His overall plan and purpose.
So just remember that a diamond remains an ugly translucent piece of rock until the master jewel cutter grinds away part of it in a precise pattern of facets designed to make it sparkle. Then when he is through, the finished product is worth far more than the original and luck had absolutely nothing to do with it!
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.
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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466
You can also E-Mail Pastor Ronald Riffe regarding questions or comments about this article.
God bless you