October 12, 2020
Sharing from the congregation – Don Parnell
Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”.
Mark 8:34 “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.
We live in the age of the autonomous automobile – cars that can drive themselves, independent of action by a driver. For those of us older than fifteen, the fact that a vehicle has been created, through the use of artificial intelligence, and related engineering techniques, that can start itself, maneuver itself to and from parking spaces, navigate through traffic, and do all of that safely, is a marvel. We could hardly have imagined that even fifty – sixty years ago.
The visionaries in the fields of mathematics, science, and related fields have, however, predicted over time that such an advancement as independent vehicles would come, because it had been imagined by the human mind. This circumstance would suggest that the human mind is prescient, and when applied to a specific task, can – and does – result in significant achievement. Artificial Intelligence does not imply a free will, however.
The passage from Proverbs reminds us that there exists another consideration as to the free will that exists throughout the human experience. Circumstances arise – some predictable, some not predictable – that alter the ability of each of us, as a human being, to successfully chart a course, pursue that course, and reach the destination with no changed circumstances throughout the process.
Things happen. Gravity, physics, weather, beliefs, facts, the passage of time, intervention by other humans – any and all of such factors can alter the circumstances related to the “best laid plan”.
The passage from Mark reminds us of the fundamental truth for believing Christians: disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Christ.
There is an observation that I have, for several decades, referred to as “The theory of the void”. This is not a novel idea, simply a restatement of the old adage that “Nature abhors a vacuum”. Where there is the absence of substance in a particular situation, a void is created. Nature demands that something, or someone, fill that void. What fills the void may be positive or negative as to its effects on the previously existing circumstances.
All of that is to say that the fundamental truth stands firm: Christians have the opportunity, through their free will, to deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow Christ – filling the void in a powerful and positive way.
God bless,
Don Parnell