Is there a God?

This is the question that is going around, and has been going around for centuries. Why? I always thought is was because man needs to believe there is something/someone bigger than he is. He needs to know that there is someone in control, otherwise things that make no sense have no real purpose. He concludes there must be some explanation for organization and complexity in the universe.

However, as I listen (via blog/website/youtube) to the atheist discussion of the impossibility of a God, I am overwhelmed that the question is raised more in arrogance than in pursuit. In other words...

• One cannot prove God, therefore He does not exist.
• One cannot articulate God, therefore He does not exist.
• Experience cannot be used to "prove" God, therefore He does not exist.
• The Bible cannot be used to defend God's existence, therefore He does not exist.
• History cannot be used to argue the existence of Christ, therefore He and God do not exist.
• People of all faiths fail in following God, therefore He does not exist.
• Order in nature is not evidence for a Creator, therefore One does not exist.
• Chaos in our world screams that there is no God, therefore He does not exist.
• God did not reveal Himself to me, therefore He does not exist.
• Only weak and simple people believe in God, therefore He does not exist

And on the reasoning goes, very logical, very empirical, usually very intelligent, however it misses one basic reality...

GOD!

Jehovah of the Bible does not go to any measure to explain Himself, defend Himself, prove Himself to anyone - not even His followers. Jehovah of the Bible begins His book with the assumption that He exists. "In the beginning, God..." He needs no defense. He needs no explanation. He was, He is, and He will always be.

12 tests of Job 31 - Could you pass?

In reading through the book of Job this morning, I came across a test of righteousness that Job gave himself. At the conclusion of the test, his older counselors stood silent, but a younger member of their group reminded Job of the righteousness of God. It is hard to compare anything to perfection - because anything less is flawed.

However, Job seemed to think he passed this test he presented in chapter 31. My question is, how would you do if faced with the same questions... (words in italics were added for clarity)

If I have walked with falsehood…
If my step has turned from the way…
If my heart has been enticed by a woman…
If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves…
If I have kept the poor from their desire…
If I have seen anyone perish and not helped…
If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan…
If I have put my confidence in gold…
If I have gloated because my wealth was great…
If I have looked at the sun when it shone and worshipped it…
Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy
Have I covered my transgressions like Adam



Honestly, as you evaluate yourself, in comparison to someone who perfectly did not fail in any of these areas, how did you do?

By the way, to see God's response to Job's test, see Job 38-41.

My Closest Friend

Twenty years ago this July, I married a woman that at that time I thought I loved. At the ripe old age of 21 (almost 22) we committed to love each other for life. If she had known on that day what she knows now, I am certain she would have taken a little more time with that commitment.

Over the years, I have failed her, yet her commitment to me has always been strong. I have had times of arrogance, and she graced me with her humility. I have had times of selfishness, and she showered me with her selflessness. I have been unfaithful, yet she has remained faithful to me. I have sinned against her, yet she offered forgiveness freely.

Believe me, we have not had the perfect marriage, mainly because of my imperfections, arrogance, stubbornness, selfishness... on the list could go. What I have experienced though is a love that only God can give through a wife that models it well. I have experienced God's faithfulness as she chose to be faithful. I have experienced God's forgiveness as she offered it to me. I have experienced God's humility as I watch her respond in gracious humility. I have experienced God through my closest friend in the world.

I thought I loved Deanna when I first married her 20 years ago, but what I have learned over these years is that I still do not love her as I should. I have learned what love truly means by watching her love me well, and as a result, I am moved to love her better. I love my wife today more than words can express, but not nearly as much as I know I will love her 20 years from now.

What brings you the most pleasure in life?

What does it say that, apart from the wonderful time I spent with my wife, my fondest memory of a cruise ship adventure is an afternoon spent with a 10 year old Guatemalan boy?

Christobol was his name. A young boy who just attached himself to us as we walked down the streets of Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We had avoided the requests of the local cab drivers imploring us to hire them for a trip downtown, and had decided to walk wherever we could walk to. We figured there must be some kind of local market, and sure enough there was. However, the dilemma was trying to find it.

Enter Christobol.

We were talking about the market and sure it had to be somewhere, when we looked to our right and saw this young man walking with us. Not saying anything, he just started going where we were going. Eventually he asked us where we were heading, and he took us to the local market. Not the usual market for tourists! We saw fish, chickens (live), fruits, vegetables, clothing, shoes, etc. All sorts of goods for the local people - and I do mean the locals - we were definitely noticed as outsiders.

Following our 10 year old guide, we walked without thought through some of the most interesting sites of Guatemala. Eyes turned our way, and of course, we greeted people with our best Spanish.

It was wonderful! Not the market. Not the food/items. But the people and the connection with this young man. It reminded me of why I do what I do. People just like Christobol need to hear the gospel, and I have the privilege of sharing it with them via partnering with nationals reaching their own people.

I had the privilege of talking to Christobol about the gospel, and encouraged him to read his Bible.

The day ended with Christobol introducing us to his friend Luis, and playing a little soccer with the cab drivers.

Not a bad way to end our time in Guatemala.

Confidence in Chaos

I saw them tearing a building down,
a group of men in a busy town,
with hefty blow and lusty yell,
they swung with zest and a side wall fell.

Asked of the foreman, "Are these men skilled?
The kind you would hire if you had to build?"
He looked at me, and laughed, "No, indeed!
Unskilled labor is all I need.
Why, they can wreck in a day or two,
what it has taken builders years to do."

I asked myself, as I went my way,
"Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder with rule and square,
measuring and constructing with skill and care?
Or am I the wrecker who walks the town,
content with the business of tearing down?"

- Author Unknown -