I Participate, You Participate, God Regulates.

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natural laws exist that serve to maintain order in the universe. These laws are usually manifested as regularity in nature (as in the seasons) or as a relationship between cause and effect. In the physical realm natural laws exist which govern the behaviour of matter. Examples of such laws are Newton’s Laws of Motion. In the social aspect of life, natural laws also exist that regulate human activity. The Law of Demand and Supply is an example of such a law. This phenomenon is also manifested in the spiritual aspect of life. Universal and immutable spiritual laws exist which govern human creative activity. Observation and experience show the existence of two spiritual laws. These are: The Law of Creative Accomplishment and the Law of Reciprocal Action. Let us now examine these laws. The Law of Creative Accomplishment:- The law provides that success will inevitably crown our efforts if we persevere in our pursuit of a goal and if we have faith in God. In other words, perseverance and faith in God will always lead to success in our pursuits. The relationship between faith in God, perseverance and success was first made known by Jesus Christ. Hear him on faith in God (Mark 11:20-24):- As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered”. And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the seas,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”. In the “Parable of the Importunate Friend” he taught about perseverance (Luke 11:5-10):- And he said to them “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me the door is now shut, and my children are now with me in bed I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him what he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. The operation of this law is not completely unknown to mankind. There are sayings which have arisen out of human experience of the relationship between perseverance (or determination) and success. One such saying is: “Where there is a will, there is a way”, which means that if someone is determined to achieve something, a way of doing so will be found. Another of such saying is: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again”. The attainment of our goals in life is not a matter of chance. There is absolute certainty of success in our pursuits if we have faith in God and if we persist in out efforts. Obviously, it is the will of God that we should gain success and happiness in life. The Law of Reciprocal Action:- This law defines the relationship between our deeds and our experiences in life. It stipulates that good deeds will bring us happiness and good fortune while bad conduct will cause us to experience suffering and misfortune. The Law of Reciprocal Action provides, in effect, that the nature of what we give in life is the same as the nature of what we get back. The operation of this law is evident in the way human beings relate to one another. When someone does us a good turn we have this wish to return the favour. People who are responsive to their conscience will gladly return a favour if the opportunity presents itself. On the other hand, when a person ill-treats us, we feel like treating him badly too. Our tendency to conform to this law in our behaviour is reflected in the saying, ‘one good turn deserves another’, and in the expression, ‘pay a man back in his own coin’. Human experience of the operation of this law as it concerns the relationship between suffering and bad conduct is obviously what bright about the saying, ‘sow the wind and reap the whirlwind’. The operation of the Law of Reciprocal Action is also manifested in our interaction with God. When we tend to do good, we draw close to Him. When we are close to God, we readily ask for and receive help and protection from Him when we are in need. Closeness to God brings us under the influence of His infinite power. We share in His infinite goodness. Our fortunes in life tend to be good. On the other hand, when a person is prone to acting immorally, he loses favour with God and is distanced from Him. Such a person is not disposed to turn to God when in need and so he does not receive God’s help or protection. Not having God’s help or protection makes such a person prone to misfortune. Jesus Christ was expressing the operation of the Law of Reciprocal Action when he stated (Luke 6:37-38):- "Judge not, and you will not be judged condemn not and you will not be condemned forgive and you will be forgiven give and it will be given to you good measure, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back". The Law of Reciprocal Action is a natural law which serves to encourage us to do good on one hand while discouraging us from acting immorally on the other.