|
|||||||
Lucky Or Blessed? |
|||||||
Lucky; a word that has become foreign to many a Christian's vocabulary and very noticeable when others use it, and they do quite often. Lucky suggests something good or pleasing has happened to you by chance because of any number of reasons. Being in the right place at the right time could be one of those reasons. People like to be lucky because they want nice things to happen to them. There are movies, songs, sayings, shops, and places named with the word lucky attached to them. Lots of eateries and restaurants include lucky in their title such as "The Lucky Dragon" , "Lucky Asian Grocery", "Lucky Guy", "Lucky 7 Convenience on Currie" are just a small taste of a few from Google maps in the city of Adelaide in South Australia. We also know that Australia is known or referred to as "the lucky country". There was a popular song recorded way back in the 1950s called "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky Me" by Evelyn Knight and the Ray Charles singers. You may remember it if from around that vintage for it was played repeatedly on the radio here well into the 1960s, was catchy and had a light-hearted tone of fun and happenstance, but if you look at the lyrics closely it was full of worldly ways tied in to fortune and the worship of false gods. Here is the link if you would like to listen to this song of yesteryear: https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tFP1zcsNjDNKzHOSjZg9BLJKU3OrlRAJnNTAdCgDAA&q=lucky+lucky+lucky+me&oq=lucky+lucky+lucky&aqs= chrome.2.69i57j46i512l3j0i512j46i512j0i512l2.11229j0j8&client=tablet-android-telstra-au&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8 Before becoming a Christian my vocabulary included words such as luck and lucky and there was no problem with it. Now things are different as it is no longer relevant in my life, nor do I want any association with it. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says "LUCKY, FORTUNATE, HAPPY, PROVIDENTIAL mean meeting with unforeseen success. LUCKY stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result. Won because of a lucky bounce. FORTUNATE suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts. Fortunate in my investments. HAPPY combines the implications of LUCKY and FORTUNATE with stress on being blessed. A series of happy accidents. PROVIDENTIAL more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power. A providential change in the weather". So, have you asked yourself why you say the word lucky if you still do? Could it be a bad habit that is still "flying under the radar" or perhaps you just want to fit in with others and not make any "waves"? Maybe you have never given it much thought before or paid any attention to it. Today is high time to examine closely our daily habits for these are so familiar they may not even be apparent, let alone obvious to you. Good luck charms such as four leaf clovers, a rabbit's foot, dreamcatchers, horseshoes, statues and wishbones are false idols. As children my sister and I always hoped for the wishbone from the carcass of the chicken in order to hook our pinky fingers around the delicate bones then pull on the count of three in order to snap it apart, desiring the longest piece in order to make a wish. How pagan can one get? Thankfully this childhood nonsense we were taught along with other superstitions such as the game "step on a crack, break your mother's back" has been thoroughly done away with. Then there was the time as a child around the age of 10-12 when I spent hours and hours looking through all the clover growing prolifically like weeds on the corner paddock wishing for a four leaf clover to excitedly show my parents at how clever I was. Needless to say that it never happened. Lucky has all the hallmarks of being pagan in origin for it is undeniably so. The word lucky does not appear in the Bible. After a brief search online there were many articles on the topic of luck and the following link will take you to one of these published in 2012. It is accurate and valuably informative for all Christians who are most interested and dedicated to fine-tuning their thoughts, words, and deeds to emulate Christ. Perhaps you can think of other pagan practices you liked or were taught from which you gave no thought to thinking they were harmless? https://www.ucg.org/united-news/giving-luck-the-credit It is a good exercise in self examination to determine our use of language as our words have power and should not be used carelessly or without thought. Those who follow Christ are careful with their speech and conversations and do not use the word lucky but instead use the word blessed as our blessings are God given and not just some random occurrence that somehow occurred. There are no "happy accidents" from God for He is in full control over each and everything He created. Our great God is full of purpose in providing us direction, mercy, and giving us every good thing as scripture states in James 1:17. Blessings are God given to us from our Creator and they are given specifically based on our needs, likes or preferences, and personalities. Have you ever smiled from ear to ear knowing God gave you a deeply personal blessing because He delights in this? It is wonderful and something to treasure. So throw away all the junk from any and all false idols by examining what you have in your home, in your life, in your minds and hearts so that you are living a Godly life far from any snares and trappings of luck and false pagan worship. God deserves the best from each and every one of us and this certainly does not include worldly ways for these are abhorrent, offensive, and an abomination in His eyes. There are so many ways the world can subtly affect us through seemingly harmless pursuits. It is very sad to hear Sabbath-keeping Christians say "oh you are so lucky" especially from those who have grown up in homes with both parents converted. So it is a matter of where children go to school, where they then go on to be employed, and the friends they keep, for we know good habits can be corrupted from company that is sinful and bad — God exposes and calls it out as evil in 1 Corinthians 15:33. What are we meant to do? Go to God in prayer and pray for those concerned to see that they need to come out of the world for God will help them if they are willing to be led by His Spirit. It is more and more clearly apparent why God kept telling His people throughout the Old Testament to stay away from the heathen practices of others such as the Canaanites, not to marry them, intermingle or associate with them as He knows their wicked ways would be adopted and practiced. We only have to look at the example of King Solomon to see the disaster that happened there towards the end of his life. We live in this world where pagan practices such as blowing out birthday candles while making a wish are everyday commonplace occurrences without so much as a second thought because they are so entrenched, crossing fingers to supposedly invite good luck and block out bad luck, having a lucky amulet (for example a horseshoe facing upwards as part of a garter belt on your wedding day), or lucky items the individual perceives as beneficial such as clothing, a bag, a pen, or even engaging in a series of events such as seeing a fortune teller before determining what to do and when to do it. These practices saturate the land for it is done without so much as blinking the eye, however God sees all of it. Other ways connected to luck are far too numerous to provide a complete list here, yet you can probably think of some which may have been part of your formative years. God fearing Christians who have strong respect and wonder for God and tremble at His Word working out their salvation carefully look to scripture such as Isaiah 66:2. We deeply desire to come out of the world and not take any part of it therefore we go to God in prayer asking for help rather than engage in anything associated with luck. Sometimes the world to me looks like a huge vortex or a type of quicksand just waiting to pull us in rapidly or slowly. Whether it be slowly and imperceptibly drawing us in through attraction or fun because everyone else is doing it, or, on the other hand, suddenly capturing us like the action from a Venus Flytrap after enticingly offering something we want, we need to avoid this scenario by all means otherwise we could be ensnared and trapped like the live insect until it is sucked dry from its lifeblood. Leave the silly lucky stuff to those who do not have a good relationship with God for their time will come when we will teach them God's way and they will learn all about how much He wants to bless them. Luck is about getting something but it does not come from God. | |||||||