James H. Hooks

I have been asked by many christians christian and non-christian alike. That question is followed up by two more:

1. Why does God let people starve?
2. Why does bad things happen to good people?
These are legitimate questions and all have the same answers. To answer them we must ask another question, who is in control of the earth? The immediate response is, God. Accepting this as a answer will create a thousand other questions that would be impossible to answer. Just think for a moment,if God was in control there would be no killings, suicide, rape, violence of any sort, Terriorism, wars,nor need of weapons.
What then is the answer?

Let’s ask God. After all, He is the only one capable of clearing it up. Hopefully we can agree that God owns everything seen and unseen. If we do not believe God owns all we can see how can we ever have the faith He will provide for what we cannot see?

If God owns it, He can dictate who controls it. To believe any of God’s word we must believe that God never lies, God never fails, God never goes back on His word. Being God He needs only to say something once for it to be true. Now we have abase of belief to build from.
GOD PUT MAN in control of:
1. Gen.1:26-fish of the sea, fowl of the air,cattle, all the earth, every creeping thing.
2. Gen.1:30- Every beast of the earth wherein there is life, every green herb.

When God refers to man He is not referring to the man Adam, He was referring to the human. Mankind kind does not own the earth and all therein but is put in control as a steward. A steward that with all of God’s help and blessings, conditioned upon believing and Following The Lord. We know the story. Adam was human with his frail limitations. He disobeyed God by obeying the serpent and by committing sin, he separated himself from God. (God does not separate himself from man we separate ourselves from God by sin.
Satan could not override God’s word that gave Adam control over all, so took upon himself the form of a serpent which Adam was given charge over to deceive Adam tempting him to willingly disobey God. (He uses the same trick today very effectively)

God had to pass judgement. Judgement began where sin began.
1. Servant- was to eat of dirt all days of his life by crawling on ground.
2. Satan-Gen 3:15
3. Adam- death passed upon all men. Adam was to eat by the sweat of his brow-
4. Eve-was to give birth in much pain
This was the curse passed because of sin. God knew that putting man in charge with man’s selfish ambition to serve self, would bring misery to himself,his family and ultimately all those around him.
When God brought the curse there is one thing God did not take away, that was rule of the earth and all that is therein.

So I ask God:
1. Why He lets people go into eternity w/o hope of salvation. He answered me and said I put you in charge. I instructed you to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, first in Jerusalem, then Judea and to the outer most parts of the world. Why do you let people go into eternity w/o hope of salvation?
2. Why do you let people starve? His answer is, I put you in charge. I instructed you to feed the hungry and mend the broken hearted, why do you let people starve.
3. Why does bad things happen to good people. Because of ad people, not a bad God.
We are all missionaries with the same mission, with some with specific callings to other parts of the world. We may not be called to go to another part of the world as a missionary but we need to be supporting those that do.
What are you doing with the control that God has given you?