Yes GOD is a vending machine.

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

JohnB

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2022
2,078
456
83
Calif
#1
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " Matthew 5:45

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. " Matthew 7:11

Tired of Christians telling everyone GOD is not a vending machine. EVERYTHING you have is a gift from GOD.....even the air you breath. It's not a sin to ask GOD for anything.
 

Jesusfollower

Active member
Oct 21, 2021
352
195
43
jamaica
#2
Yes our Lord is most generous, he created us, gave us life, is giving us a tremendous opportunity, access to eternal life if we accept it but he is not a vending machine. it is degrading to call him so, we owe him our outermost respect, devotion and love.

Peace,

JF
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2022
2,078
456
83
Calif
#3
Yes our Lord is most generous, he created us, gave us life, is giving us a tremendous opportunity, access to eternal life if we accept it but he is not a vending machine. it is degrading to call him so, we owe him our outermost respect, devotion and love.

Peace,

JF
What may mean very little to you, may be very important to someone else. I've had times I've struggled to make ends meet and had Christians, who have much, tell me GOD isn't a vending machine, you shouldn't be asking for material things.
 
Mar 4, 2020
8,614
3,679
113
#4
I think it's fine to ask God for things, but we should also accept a resounding "No." There's a bit more to asking for material things than "Gimme dis, gimme dat."

I don't see that God is concerned about our glory, but rather His glory. We're still under a punishment from Adam and Eve, men and women, and part of what comes with that package is we're going to have to do many things ourselves.

Genesis 3:16-19
16To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.

18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”


What the above passage means to me is that we're going to have to work for many things that we want. In my experience, God opens doors for us to enter where the outcome will be favorable for us, but He probably won't airdrop you a pallet of cash into your front yard. There's a lot of meeting Him halfway.

Also, the giving is conditional at times. James put it like this:

James 4:1-3
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
2You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
7,592
3,177
113
#5
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " Matthew 5:45

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. " Matthew 7:11

Tired of Christians telling everyone GOD is not a vending machine. EVERYTHING you have is a gift from GOD.....even the air you breath. It's not a sin to ask GOD for anything.
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:3

Word of Faith is false.
 

Evmur

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2021
4,943
2,542
113
London
christianchat.com
#6
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " Matthew 5:45

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. " Matthew 7:11

Tired of Christians telling everyone GOD is not a vending machine. EVERYTHING you have is a gift from GOD.....even the air you breath. It's not a sin to ask GOD for anything.
Totally, if you just turn the tap on there's no stopping God's blessings ... have to BELIEVE for it.
 

Evmur

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2021
4,943
2,542
113
London
christianchat.com
#7
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:3

Word of Faith is false.
should be Word of Grace .... to put faith before grace is to put the horse before the cart. God is ready to pour His grace out, He is ready now

are WE ready?
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
7,592
3,177
113
#8
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14

Equating our Lord to a vending machine demonstrates a great lack of understanding. I wonder if a person who would suggest this has even cracked open a Bible.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
7,592
3,177
113
#9
should be Word of grace .... to put faith before grace is to put the horse before the cart. God is ready to pour His grace out, He is ready now

are WE ready?
Evemur, I don't really have anything to say to you. You've shown your ignorance and distortion of the gospel over and over again.
 

Evmur

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2021
4,943
2,542
113
London
christianchat.com
#10
I think it's fine to ask God for things, but we should also accept a resounding "No." There's a bit more to asking for material things than "Gimme dis, gimme dat."

I don't see that God is concerned about our glory, but rather His glory. We're still under a punishment from Adam and Eve, men and women, and part of what comes with that package is we're going to have to do many things ourselves.

Genesis 3:16-19
16To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.

18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”


What the above passage means to me is that we're going to have to work for many things that we want. In my experience, God opens doors for us to enter where the outcome will be favorable for us, but He probably won't airdrop you a pallet of cash into your front yard. There's a lot of meeting Him halfway.

Also, the giving is conditional at times. James put it like this:

James 4:1-3
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
2You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Chase God not His blessings ... His blessings will chase YOU and overtake you.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,699
113
#15
It's not a sin to ask GOD for anything.
It is a sin to reject a "no" for an answer. Speaking of God as a vending machine is both disrespectful and unwise.

God is not a vending machine.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,090
1,754
113
#16
Those who do not think we are to pray to God for our basic needs have a very wrong-headed view of God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their daily bread.

There is also this:
Philippians 4:6
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

But we can believe that without calling God a bulk, inanimate object. Let us be respectful toward God.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,090
1,754
113
#17
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:3

Word of Faith is false.
The verse before says ye have not because ye ask not. Is it coveteous to pray for daily bread? What about a good job? What about a car to get to work? What about funds to educate your children? What about funds for a ministry to the homeless or an evangelistic type ministry?

James does not conclude, 'Therefore thou shalt not pray for stuff."

There is a Biblical 'word of faith' in Romans 10. Let's believe that.

We can believe God provides without calling Him a vending machine.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,090
1,754
113
#18
I never went to a church that said, "God is not a vending machine." I don't think I've ever heard the phrase. Having an attitude that you are not supposed to pray to God for financial needs or about financial decisions is really off balance.

And if you are working toward some goal and saving for something financially, and you think it is off-limits to pray about obtaining that, either you need to get your head right or else you shouldn't be working and saving money for it.

If you want to save to buy a house, but feel bad about praying about it, then either you should change your mind about what you pray about or else stop saving for the house. If buying a house isn't good enough to pray about, it isn't good enough to save money for.

There shouldn't be areas of your life or finances that are off-limits to God, either. Separating God out of 'non-sacred' areas of your life is wrong-headed.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
56,021
26,149
113
#20
Those who do not think we are to pray to God for our basic needs have a very wrong-headed view of God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their daily bread.

There is also this:
Philippians 4:6
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

But we can believe that without calling God a bulk, inanimate object. Let us be respectful toward God.

Philippians 4:6, 7, & 19
:)