Quote from Forum Archives on July 8, 2003, 1:24 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Do you believe that God exists? Surveys taken from time to time
seem to indicate that most people in the United States
acknowledge the existence of God. Acknowledging existence and
earnestly seeking, however, are far apart.

Other surveys that I've seen indicate that even among so-called
Evangelical Christians, there is a disturbing lack of
understanding of who God really is, what He has done for us, and
why His Son is such a critical person to know and accept in order
to really know God.

It's been my own quest to know God and my desire to share my
passion with others that eventually led me to begin writing
devotional messages. At first, they were nothing more than
surveys of some controversial writings, acknowledging some of the
material, but desiring to soften its tone. Later, I started
reading some of the devotionals online that I had previously read
in printed form, and I began to share them, too. But as time
went on and my own level of sensitivity to those around me began
to develop, I realized that there are a lot of hurting people out
there. Sometimes, I've even been one of them. I wanted to reach
out, both to encourage others, and at times, to be encouraged
myself.

Eventually I stumbled across the 1 Corinthians 7 mailing list,
and around the same period of time, I found someone with a
similar passion for prayer and for reaching out beyond the
typical boundaries to touch the lives of others. That's when I
found Larry Davies and his Sowing Seeds of Faith ministry.

Friends, I sure don't find life's answers by working harder, by
being good, or by looking stylish, or by any of the other quick
fixes that people often seek. Those things are not inherently
bad things. It's good to do our very best in whatever we do, to
look our best, to be our best in every way. But when such drives
become a replacement for seeking to find our significance in the
One who fashioned and made us, we've clearly overstepped whatever
good may come out of such things, and we've actually lost touch
of what really matters.

That's why I think it is so important to learn and study about
the nature of God, who He is, what His Word says about Him, His
relationship to His people, what's important to God, and what God
desires of us. Such things are clearly discussed in God's Word,
the Bible. Everything we need to hear from God we can read in
His Word.

Yet so many times, we not only don't read His Word, we question,
minimize, or even deny what it says. This should not be so.
That's not an expression of faith at all, that's a denial of the
faith.

For those of us who have wandered from the faith or questioned
our faith, it's never too late to return to the One who made us,
to trust in His Word and to believe in His promises, which are
always right and true.

Let me ask you this. Who else can you ever say can always be
trusted, who is always right and true? Those of us who believe
may earnestly strive to be that way, but if we're at all honest,
we realize that each of us falls far short of that standard.
Only God upholds that standard, and only the person of Jesus
Christ, who came to earth, in very nature God, yet also man -
is always right and true. Therefore, He is the only One capable
of interceding in our behalf, and the only One capable of saving
us. Will you earnestly seek Him today, read His Word, learn even
a little bit more about Him, if for no other reason than to
return just a fraction of honor and respect to the One who gave
His all for you and me?

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Tuesday -- July 8, 2003

How can I prove to someone that God exists?
Godography

In a recent US survey only 13 percent of the respondents between
the ages of 18 and 24 could find Iraq on a globe. Believe it or
not, 70 percent of them could not find the state of New Jersey,
and 49 percent could not find New York on a US map. Beyond
disturbing was the revelation that 11 percent could not find the
United States!

Being able to locate states and cities on a map is important,
but scoring high in Godography (Finding God) has eternal
significance. Godography?! Read Hebrews 11:6. The writer says
that in order to locate God, we must first believe that He
exists. How can we prove there is a God? There are some
traditional "proofs" for the existence of God that have been
constructed by Christian and non-Christian philosophers at
various points in history to help us think rationally about
God's existence.

The cosmological argument reasons that the universe itself must
have a cause. The cause of such a great universe can only be
God. The teleological argument focuses on there being an
intelligent and purposeful God who created the universe to
function according to design, purpose, and harmony. The moral
argument says there must be a God who is the source of right and
wrong. These arguments are fine, but they leave us wanting.

The writer of Hebrews had an understanding of traditional
arguments for the existence of God at his disposal. However, he
also knew that if you want to find God, you must locate Him by
faith. Faith is the confident assurance that what we hope for is
going to happen. It is the evidence of what we cannot see. If
you seek Him faithfully, wholeheartedly, and sincerely, He will
reward you with His wonderful presence.

Those who seek Him will find Him because the Lord will give them
a heart to recognize Him as Lord (Jeremiah 29:7). How is your
Godography? --Marvin Williams

bottom line: The proof is in your faith.

Hebrews 11:1-6
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of
what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended
for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at
God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was
visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than
Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God
spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even
though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so
that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because
God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was
commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must
believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly
seek Him.

. How sincerely and wholeheartedly do I look for God?

. How can I know that God exists?

. How does my believing that God exists impact my living?

2003 RBC Ministries
Grand Rapids, MI 49555

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society

Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers

Devotional message copied and formatted from the Web page
www.gospelcom.net/rbc/sj/today.php

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
sbc.yahoo.com