After 44 years of existence, every person should have some sea shells that they have collected on the shores of this life. Some are pretty, some are interesting, some are broken and have the serrated and jagged edges of rough experience. My collection (for what its worth) below....
1. God is not my servant.
Seems pretty obvious ... its surprising how long I took it for granted that He would give me what I asked him, and when I asked him. I took it for granted that He would always listen to me, regardless of how much I personally had been ignoring Him, denying Him, disobeying Him.... He would be completely justified in ignoring me completely - its only because He's a completely Good, Infinitely Merciful, and Gracious God that he even bothers to lend a ear to my natterings......................
2. God owes me nothing. We suffer from a sense of entitlement that treats God like a Santa Claus, obligated to bring Christmas presents every year, obligated to provide for us, feed us, keep the sun shining, keep asteroids from obliterating our fragile planet, keep us personally safe and secure. He is not our servant, and he is no more beholden to provide for us, than we are beholden to provide food and shelter to all the animals (or humans) on this planet. In spite of this, a Great God emptied Himself of divinity, clothed himself in skin like me, and suffered so that my evil, could be wiped away by His Grace. He didn't have to do it - I deserved Justice - and that justice called for my annhiliation for my crimes against this God, but he offered me Mercy and Grace --- something I would not even dare ask for no matter how strong my sense of entitlement.....
3. The highest and wisest knowledge one can attain to is the knowledge of God.It is never going to be possible to know an infinite deity within the short span of a human lifetime. So much time wasted - arguing about whether He exists, grudgingly admitting his existence, fighting against His logic and ways, refusing to acknowledge his sovreignty - when a year or two of study would open our eyes to the beauty and majesty that is Yahwheh, the I AM of Israel, the Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the God that washes human feet, the Holy Spirit that pleads with us as tender as a dove, the Father that created us and within us the ability to comprehend and relate to Him, the God that lives in us, the God that dies for us, the God that numbers the hairs on our heads and knows us before we are born! O the wonders of His ways - past finding out!!!!
4. Beggars can't be choosers. Why is Christ the only way? Why not other religions? What about the native in Africa who has never heard the gospel? What about babies who die - do they go to Hell?
God is not beholden to help or save anyone. He would be infinitely just if he annhilated all humanity - he chooses to extend his mercy to save those who he chooses. We are just uncomfortable that we do not know the parameters of his choice - and we want to know - so that we can cry FOUL - or wheedle and whine as to why this person and not that!!! God is infinitely just - much more than we can comprehend - and I for one trust that he will save those that are worthy of saving by whatever means he decrees - whether saved by our conscience without a knowledge of Christ, saved by faith in Christ,or saved by God's sovereign will. As created beings and hopeless sinners, we don't get to decide how we are saved.
5. The Bible is true. (Duh!)It is unique in its scientific, archaelogical accuracy. Amazing in the perfect harmony of thoughts expressed through 40+ different authors writing in different times and situations. Perfect in its moral law. Wonderful in its fulfilled prophecies - no other book prophesies as this does. Absolutely miraculous in its preservation, textual accuracy, and persistence in spite of the persistent attempts to utterly stamp it out.
Reading and understanding it is the most valuable use of time that there is. It is the handbook to know the Person we will be spending an eternity with. Don't you think we should start early?
6. Jesus did come back from the dead.Proof? Nothing else would have convinced a scared trembling bunch of disciples (including the doubter Thomas!) that it was truly Jesus, unless it was him who came back. The Romans were witness that he was dead - they thrust a spear in his side, and the fact that water and blood came out indicated massive heart failure. They didn't break his legs (to finish the crucifixion process) because he was already dead. A stone was rolled in front of his grave. A person in that physical condition, with no medical attention for 3 days is completely incapable of appearing completely hale and hearty 3 days later. This scared bunch all went on to become martyrs, choosing death rather than recant that Jesus was alive again. There is no person that will do that unless they are 100% convinced of the truth.
This is the Gospel! This is Great News! Jesus came to give us the Life that he now enjoys. Death's grip is broken ------------- and it was all done by the same GOD, with His GRACE, with his MERCY, predicted 1000's of years before, and completely and exactly fulfilled the way He planned it, and DOCUMENTED it in the Bible. He forgave all our sins (Past, Present, Future) - there is nothing more to do to inherit Heaven! All he asks of us is to love each other - no rituals, no religion, no penance, no affliction!!!!!!!!!!
If that doesn't cause you to think and pause, I can only pray God give you the wisdom to come into his marvellous light!
