Why do I believe in God?
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| Jaycie's Solar System Project Can you find our tiny blue planet? Come to find out, it's not insignificant at all. |
http://youtu.be/qF9aY49oQTs - Indescribable - Chris Tomlin
The better question is:
"How can I not believe?"
I have the honor and blessing of being part of the Dallas Christian School Sophomore Girls Bible Study each week . We meet at lunch, so it's just a short devo, but I have enjoyed it so much this year. I've gotten to know these very special girls a little better, and can I just say? They are truly outstanding young women. I'm so blessed to know each one.
At the first of the year, I asked them what topics they would like to
discuss. One girl said that she wanted to know how to answer the question:
"Why do you believe in God?"
This young lady is definitely a believer, but like so many of us, she didn't know how to answer this question if someone asked. I've thought about this question all year.
There's no quick, easy answer that works in all circumstances for all people. For me, answering another believer is so much easier. Believers understand faith - sometimes we believe simply because God has put Eternity in our hearts. We just know that He is God. Faith, after all, is believing when we can't see.
But to answer someone who denies His very existence - that's a whole different story. If I use the Bible at all, I first must prove that it is reliable. I have to show
the unbeliever that this book has been tested and investigated for thousands of years. Skeptics continue to peruse every word trying to find contradictions or untruths. And yet...
"Being written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness nor existence. The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined."
from http://www.angelfire.com/ - "Evidence that Demands a Verdict"
Time and time again, archaeological discoveries have verified the truths already found in the Bible. Evolutionary scientists continually change their explanation of how evolution has worked over billions and billions of years due to the amazing discoveries that are constantly being made. These new discoveries don't prove the theory of evolution at all - in fact, they do more to prove the overwhelming evidence that points to our Divine Creator.
Professor M. Montiero-Williams, former Boden professor of Sanskrit, spent 42 years studying Eastern books and said in comparing them with the Bible:
"Pile them, if you will, on the left side of your study table; but place your own Holy Bible on the right side - all by itself, all alone - and with a wide gap between them. For,...there is a gulf between it and the so-called sacred books of the East which severs the one from the other utterly, hopelessly, and forever...a veritable gulf which cannot be bridged over by any science of religious thought."
Over the years, many critics have tried to discredit the Word of God. At one time, they claimed that there was no way that Moses could have authored the first five books of the Bible because at the time he lived on earth, man didn't have the alphabet - therefore Moses couldn't have written anything.
But then the "black stele" was discovered.. It had wedge-shaped characters on it and contained the detailed laws of Hammurabi. Was it post-Moses? No! It was pre-Mosaic, and it preceded Moses' writings by at least three centuries. Imagine that! The black stele was created long before the birth of Moses, who was supposed to be a primitive man without an alphabet!
This link will take you to a website that is full of information that documents the uniqueness of the Word of God. I hope you have time to review it. As I read the articles, I was reminded again of just how amazing God is.
http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/myredeemer/Evidencep3.html
This topic is too huge to cover in one conversation. The answers for why I believe would fill volumes of books. New "proof" is being discovered every day. So how I can answer anyone when they ask, "Why do you believe in God?"
The best answer I have is that I have experienced His love and mercy. I have been changed by His Holy Spirit living in me. I have continually found that His instructions are always best - even when they are contrary to what seems right and good to my human mind. When I live my life as He directs, I have a peace that surpasses all understanding. When I face trials and sorrows, He gives me strength and comfort that I can't explain in human terms. I've seen Him work in my life and in the lives of my friends. There is no other explanation. God is. God is good. God is love. I witness these three truths every day.
God shows up just when I need Him. Isaiah 30:21 is one of my favorite passages.
Your own ears will hear Him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
There have been so many times when I have experienced His Voice telling me "this is the way you should go." God doesn't come down and personally talk to me in human terms. No. but He most definitely "speaks" to me. Sometimes it might be a subtle reminder of a verse that speaks to my situation. Or maybe a friend will speak God's truth or encouragement to me at just the right moment. The more I put His Word in my head and heart, the easier it is for me to hear His Voice when I need to know what to do next. He is always with me, showing me whether to go right or to go left.
The reasons I believe might not make sense to a non-believer. That makes me sad. But instead of getting frustrated with them, instead of getting angry, God tells me to speak the truth in love, to show mercy, to let Him be the judge. My job, my purpose is to be live in such a way that those unbelievers can see that I'm different. Just maybe, they will want to know why, and my answer is God is real and He lives in me.
The more I study about science and the bible, the more convicted I become about our great God. Just look at the heavens? Consider the uniqueness of our planet? Why out of all the particulars that exploded from the so called "big bang" did our one tiny little blue planet "evolve" into the perfect place for human existence? So many things have to be just right for our survival - as a planet and as humans.
Our distance from the sun - perfect! If we were any closer, earth would burn up. If we were further away, we'd freeze. Hmmm.....
And what about the moon? Without our special moon orbiting around us at just the right place and speed, our planet wouldn't turn on it's axis. Thanks to the moon, we have seasons and night and day. Without the moon, half of earth would be in the dark/cold all the time - the other half would suffer light/heat all the time. Either way, we humans couldn't exit.
Our little insignificant planet was designed to be perfectly suited for human life. Why? Because we humans, out of all creation, are God's very special possession.
James 1:16-18
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
http://youtu.be/YmHfl15G8eY - God of Wonders - Third Day
What about the incredible intricacies of DNA? That each of has our own unique stamp that makes us who we are? How can anyone believe that just evolved from a big bang? And isn't it just a bit beyond all reason to think that not only did we evolve once into our human form at all, but that it happen at least twice at the same time but with a very major difference - one was male and one was female?
Really? Mind baffling to say the least. That most unbelievable thing about it is that Evolution with all it's faults and errors is still accepted by just about everyone to be Fact. My scientific standards, it doesn't even meet the criteria to be a legitimate Theory! The Enemy is all over this LIE.
So what are we to do? We speak God's truth - using words when we must, and we pray for the lost. We do everything we can to show others the Hope we have in Christ. We show God's love to everyone, even the unlovable. God will do the rest.
I can't help but fall to my knees in gratitude and thanksgiving that HE didn't give up on me when I was so lost. He sought me out and drew me to Himself. Satan's strongest hold on me was the lie that God couldn't forgive all the things I had done. I had sinned willfully and felt I had no right to pray to God, to ask for help. You see, things didn't work out so well for me when I did things my way. But to come begging God to save me after I turned my back on Him? I didn't deserve His mercy. I had lived for myself without one thought of what He wanted me to be. How dare I ask for His help now?
But God picked me up and dusted me off. He made it clear to me that I was loved and that all I had to do was turn back to Him. King David must have experienced the shame and regret of sinning against His God, just like I did. But David understood that what God wants is a broken spirit - a heart that desires to turn from sin and try once again to live for Him.
I was a sinner. Still am. I felt unworthy. I was and still am. But what I failed to consider is that Christ came to save sinners. He suffered an unimaginable death for sinners, me included. How could I think that His death, the death of the precious Son of God, was not enough to cover my sins? It was more than enough to cover every sin that has been or will be committed. That's how great His sacrifice was. That's how much He loved us.
When I finally realized that His blood continually cleanses me of all my sins, that even though I'm not worthy of such a gift, He still graciously gives it to me. He forgives me as many times as I need it. Not only was it okay for to pray and ask for forgiveness and help, but God longed for me to come back, to reach out for His Hand.
Psalm 51:17 NASB
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
http://youtu.be/JEqfMFAIyGI - Let Your Mercy Rain - Chris Tomlin
He reached down and lifted us up. He came running looking for us.
Now there is nothing and no one beyond His love.
That's why I believe.
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