God Can't Do It

God Can't Do It
June 29, 2009
Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. . ."

There is no typo in the title of this devotional. Despite God being All Knowing and All Powerful, He has limits. Consider the question: can God make a rock so big that even He couldn't pick it up? The answer is, no. God cannot do anything that contradicts Himself or His character. There are limits to what God can do and those limits are set up by God, Himself. Specifically, God gives each of us a free will and He is a gentleman with that. God will not intervene in our lives if it means contradicting the free will He has given to each and every one of us. If we resist Him, God will not force Himself upon us.

I was having a conversation with someone recently regarding a pending divorce between two Christians. The man said that the divorce was going through despite the prayers to save the marriage. He suggested that it must not be God's plan to save the marriage. But that is certainly not the case. God's plan and His will are never divorce, but God cannot save a marriage unless both parties are submitted to Him. If one of the parties in the marriage is resisting God, or not submitting to Him, then God cannot and will not save the marriage. Yes, God can make Himself known to both parties, but if one of them resists God's work in their lives and their marriage, then the marriage will continue as the parties involved continue to make it happen. He will not force them to stay marri ed and work it out.

This is true with everything in your life, Christian. God cannot violate the free will that He has given you. God will not intervene if you do not let Him. God wants to make Himself known to you and make Himself available to you, but He will not force His will on anyone. He would rather let you make your own decision and fail miserably in life, than force you to do things His way. Consider the story of the Prodigal Son. The father allowed the son to make his own decisions and mistakes, even if it meant the son had to sit with the swine in their filth. When the Prodigal Son came to the end of himself and his own ways, he realized that returning to the father was ideal. God will let you wallow in the consequences of your own decisions until you realize that God's way is actually ideal. He will no t force it upon you and He certainly won't chase you down in order to cram it down your throat.

Aside from God being a gentleman and not forcing His will upon you, there are some major bonuses to the limits of God. Consider the other things that God can't do:
God can't stop loving you.
God can't be quick in His anger.
God can't leave you or forsake you.
God can't stop pouring His grace upon your life.
God can't remember you sin, if you've accepted His forgiveness.
God can't condemn you at the judgement throne if you've applied the blood of Jesus Christ to your life.

1. In what areas of your life are you resisting God?
2. How can you submit those areas over to Him?
3. How can you stop from doing things your way?

Add. Scriptures for Study: Deut 4:31, Psalm 103:8, Neh 9:31, Luke 15:11-31, Heb 4:16, Heb 13:8, Jas 1:17, Jas 4:6