Up front – Some may think that devotions should be short. A few sentences. I write what the Lord lays on my heart. Sometimes, like today, it can be
lengthy. No apologies, just know that is
not likely to change.
Have doubts? Join the club friend. I was talking with
someone the other day. The matter was
concerning what seemed to be the imminent death of a loved one. He said, “I sure hope that when I die, I find
out this (our hope in heaven) is really true.”
(Have you ever had that thought?) That statement set me back for a
second. I never thought of him as having
any doubts about his faith, but there it was.
The stress of the death or grave illness of someone you care about seems
to have the effect of removing inhibitions from people. Those situations reveal things that they typically keep
hidden, and you wonder “Where did that come from?” or “I had no idea they felt
that way!” But to the point …
We are on a journey of faith – like in Pilgrim’s Progress. We are jars of clay, formed from dust. There is something called the Law of
Thermodynamics, actually there are 4 laws, like Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion,
except different. “Energy cannot be created or destroyed. In other words, in a
closed system, the total amount of energy that can be taken out of the system
will be equal to the total amount of energy that was put into the system.” That
might be why people think that they can be reincarnated. If you leave this form, you will “pop-up” in
another form. Zero sum. Whatever is taken away is put back in. (Hang with me, I am almost finished with the
physics lesson!!!) My point is that these “laws” are nothing more than man’s observation
of God’s creation. The truth is that God
can do what He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it. He operates on an eternal clock and we operate
on seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Hey, we do the best
we can.
Here is the problem.
If we try to figure God out on our own, we are doomed to failure. (Isaiah
55:8-9) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my
ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” You, with your mortal natural mind, cannot
figure God out. (1 Corinthians 2:14) “The person without
the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but
considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are
discerned only through the Spirit.” You see, in order to not have doubts, you
must see the world as God does, and you can only do that by the power of God’s
Spirit in you.
We are given an account of a young boy being healed by
Jesus. The boy was apparently beyond human
help. (Mark 9:21-25) “So He (Jesus)
asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From
childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to
destroy him. But if You (Jesus) can do
anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!””
All of us face impossible situations. Situations that
challenge the promises of God and our faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith
is about things hoped for and not seen. If
you want to strengthen your faith you can do two things. Be reminded of when God showed up in
impossible circumstances and keep your heart and mind fixed on Jesus. If you don’t do that you will suffer
spiritual atrophy and when that happens you will be plagued by doubt. (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord in
all your ways and not your own mental capacity.” In one of the Indiana Jones movies,
Indy was confronted by a huge man with a huge sword. Then Indy remembered that he was carrying a
gun, so he shot the man with the sword.
Well, in a way, Indy is me and you.
Faced with impossible circumstances, we must remember that we are “packing”. We have the Holy Spirit in us .. the Creator
God is on our side .. and He is faithful to His promises. You can believe that!
CHARLEY
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