"Doesn't it bother you one bit that you devote so much to this God, but he doesn't talk to you, show himself to you, and hides. Don't say he doesn't hide. Sunsets, puppies, flowers, and babies.. faces are not God."
My answer:
"Sunsets, puppies, flowers, and babies.. faces are not God"…You are very right, they are not God…but they are just a few of the great things that He has created. Those are some of the things that are mentioned in Romans 1:18-20, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse". God has made himself known through nature, He is not nature, but if someone looks at the complexity of nature/the created things, it is evident that there is a creator…God. Does God hide? It may seem like it to those who mock & reject Him, Proverbs 15:29 says that "The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous". So to them He seems distant.
Is He spiritually invisible to us? No. Is God physically invisible to us? Yes. He did show Himself to us physically through Jesus. In John 14:9 Jesus tells Phillip & the other disciples that "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". Now, I know what you may be thinking, quoting scripture to a skeptic is like giving a comb to a bald man…it seems useless to him. But when you take into account that there are 300 plus fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, the historical & scientific accuracy, the secular proof as well as all of the truly changed lives (i.e. the 11 Disciples & many, many numerous people throughout history), a person would have to have bias blinders on not to see that this is in fact, God's Word. So, seeing it as God's inspired word, when Jesus says "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father", I must take what I see clearly as God speaking. I also need to take Jesus' at His word when He speaks in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".
I get to speak to a lot of skeptics & know that the majority of them wouldn't follow God if He stood face to face with them & showed them He was there. It's not really a problem that they do not believe because they have not seen. But that they just don't want to believe. They will not sincerely seek God, because they feel as though they will find Him. Why do I "waste my time" with God? Well, I turned to God at the age of 20 & I remember perfectly the man I was before I turned to Him, & the man I am now…I much prefer the latter.
Back during the "Hippy era" there was a pastor who was sharing his faith on the street & was confronted by a young man who was a hippy. The young man said, "I don't believe in that Christian stuff. It's that 'pie in the sky, by & by' religion, & I don't care for that."
"So you believe in the 'get the pie here & now, instead of by & by?" The pastor replied. "That's right!" announced the young man.
"It doesn't look like you are getting very much pie down here." said the pastor.
The young man admitted that he wasn't, so the pastor said, "It's a real tragic thing to miss out on the pie here & now, & miss it in the here after also."
It's a sad thing also that so many will miss out on true salvation that was provided for us by God…because, they see themselves as too educated & civilized to even truly look into it.
Vern
No comments:
Post a Comment