Faith in Scripture
God answers prayer sometimes, you know? Maybe that's a silly or obvious thing to write, but it's easy to forget.
My freshman year of college, I took a New Testament class and was surprised to find it was taught by a Jewish guy who spent the whole semester pointing out everything that didn't make sense in the New Testament. It was a huge blow to my faith, and I really struggled through it. My friend Eric helped a lot though (as he often has over the years), and somehow I made it through with my faith in scripture actually strengthened by the whole thing. It's like tearing down muscles so they build up bigger, I suppose.
Anyway, over the last few years, I can tell my faith in the bible has wavered again. Talks with some of my smartest friends that are either atheist or agnostic have contributed, two of which once were believers. The focus of culture on self has played a huge part, because I've certainly bought into a lot of it. We try to work through these things out in our heads alone, and really, that's not the best place to discover cosmic and eternal truths, is it?
But I'm reading this book about a missionary that is really remarkable. When you read stories from a guy that has invested his life in his faith, and big things keep happening, it makes you want to believe like him. So I prayed the other day, "God, make my faith in your word strong again." Well, tonight, He showed up.
I was exporting some videos and uploading more to YouTube, while also folding clothes (I can't help but multitask, I guess), and so I decided to listen to something in the process. I'm always a fan of Francis Chan, and so I looked up his latest video, shown here:
Please watch it if you have the time (or even if you don't have the time -- it's worth the sacrifice and really puts things into perspective). If you don't though, just know that this guy really believes the bible with deep conviction, and preaches it so. Throughout this message, you just get the severity of scripture, and I was reminded of the truth and power of it.
I remember talking to a coworker years ago who was just getting into the bible, explaining to her the way it felt to read it. "There is something so powerful about it that can't be denied," I remember saying; and that still holds true, though I may have forgotten.
To sit and think about how huge God is, and that He gave us words to follow that all fit together in ways that man could never have made -- the magnitude of such a piece of literature is beyond belief. And then to let it sit on a shelf while we watch TV reveals that our lives are clearly out of proportion.
So take some time to read the bible, meditate on it, let it seep in and take it seriously. God is real. The bible is His word to us. And we need to know it well.
My freshman year of college, I took a New Testament class and was surprised to find it was taught by a Jewish guy who spent the whole semester pointing out everything that didn't make sense in the New Testament. It was a huge blow to my faith, and I really struggled through it. My friend Eric helped a lot though (as he often has over the years), and somehow I made it through with my faith in scripture actually strengthened by the whole thing. It's like tearing down muscles so they build up bigger, I suppose.
Anyway, over the last few years, I can tell my faith in the bible has wavered again. Talks with some of my smartest friends that are either atheist or agnostic have contributed, two of which once were believers. The focus of culture on self has played a huge part, because I've certainly bought into a lot of it. We try to work through these things out in our heads alone, and really, that's not the best place to discover cosmic and eternal truths, is it?
But I'm reading this book about a missionary that is really remarkable. When you read stories from a guy that has invested his life in his faith, and big things keep happening, it makes you want to believe like him. So I prayed the other day, "God, make my faith in your word strong again." Well, tonight, He showed up.
I was exporting some videos and uploading more to YouTube, while also folding clothes (I can't help but multitask, I guess), and so I decided to listen to something in the process. I'm always a fan of Francis Chan, and so I looked up his latest video, shown here:
Please watch it if you have the time (or even if you don't have the time -- it's worth the sacrifice and really puts things into perspective). If you don't though, just know that this guy really believes the bible with deep conviction, and preaches it so. Throughout this message, you just get the severity of scripture, and I was reminded of the truth and power of it.
I remember talking to a coworker years ago who was just getting into the bible, explaining to her the way it felt to read it. "There is something so powerful about it that can't be denied," I remember saying; and that still holds true, though I may have forgotten.
To sit and think about how huge God is, and that He gave us words to follow that all fit together in ways that man could never have made -- the magnitude of such a piece of literature is beyond belief. And then to let it sit on a shelf while we watch TV reveals that our lives are clearly out of proportion.
So take some time to read the bible, meditate on it, let it seep in and take it seriously. God is real. The bible is His word to us. And we need to know it well.
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon."For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:6-9
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