Download Free Apps & Games @ PHONEKY.com
Download Free Apps & Games @ PHONEKY.com
Subject: Where is God...?
Replies: 13 Views: 772
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:15pm
A mere glance at the news headlines confirms that we live in times of distress. and when tragedy hits home(when we personally are affected by crime, a serious accident or death of a loved one) we might ask, does God see....? does he care...? is he even there....? *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:22pm
have you considered the possibillity that our expectation of God could be based on a faulty premise....?. to illustrate: imagine a small child who is upset because his father has gone to work. the child misses his father and wishes he would come home. the child feels abandoned. throughout the day he repeatedlly asks, 'where is daddy...?.'
we can readily detect the flaw in that child's thinking. after all, at that very moment, his father is working to provide for the entire family.
could our thinking be similarly flawed when we cry out, 'where is God?' *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:30pm
some might wish for God to be an executioner whose primary function is to bring swift punishment on the perpetrator of some wrong. others view God as little more than a celestial Santa Claus, whose role is to bring gifts. a job, a spouse,or even a winning lottery ticket.
both of those views assume that if God does not bring ll immediately or if he does not grant the favour we ask, then he must be insensitive to our suffering and unaware of our needs. nothing could be further from the truth!
Fact is, at this very moment God is working to provide for the entire human family, yet not in a way that many ask for. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:32pm
wot IS God doing, then....?. to answer that question, we need to look back to the begining of human history when mankinds relationship with God was serverly damaged... but not beyond repair. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:34pm
The Damaging Effects of Sin
Imagine a house that has been in shambles for many yrs. The roof has caved in, the doors have fallen off their hinges and their exterior has been vandalised. At one time, the house was in good condition, but no longer. Considering the extent of the damage that has occured, restoration will be no small task; it will not take place over night. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:36pm
Now consider the damage that occured to mankind some 6000 yrs ago when an unseen spirit,satan, induced adam and eve to rebel against God. Befor that event our first parents enjoyed perfect health with the prospect of living forever along with future generations of their offspring (read this in genesis 1:28).
When they sinned, it was as if adam and eve vandalised the human family yet to be born. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:38pm
Do not underestimate the damagin effects of that rebellion. The bible says 'through one man (adam) sin entered into the world and death through sin.' (romans 5:12) besides bringing death, sin has impaired our relationship with our Creator. And has affected us physically, mentally and emotionally. As a result, our condition is similar to that of a run-down house. The righteous man Job realisticallly summed up our situation when he described man as being 'short of days and full of trouble' - Job 14:1(Holman Christian Standard Bible) *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:39pm
But did God abandon the human race after the downfall of adam and eve....?. Not at all! In fact, from then until now, our heavenly Father has been at work in behalf of the human family. To appreciate better just consider 3 steps that are necessary for restoring a house and how each of these relates to wot God has done to restore mankind. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:40pm
1. After inspecting a damaged house the owner must decide whether to restore it or demolish it.
Immediatelly after the rebellion in Eden, God announced his purpose to restore mankind. He said to the unseen spirit who was behind the rebellion(satan) 'i shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel' (genesis 3:15)
with those words God promised to destroy the instigator of the rebellion in eden. (romans 16:20; revelation 12:9) furthermor God foretold that a future 'seed' would redeem mankind from sin(1 john 3:8) those promises put on record a vital truth: God was going to repair, not demolish his creation. But the restoration of man would require time. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:42pm
2. An architect prepares blueprints that clearlly set forth wot the restoration work will accomplish.
God gave the israelites a code of laws and designed temple at which they were to worship him. The bible says: 'those things are a shadow of the things to come' (Colossians 2:17). Like blueprints, they represent something bigger. For example, the israelites offered animal sacrifices to obtain forgiveness of sins( leviticus 17:11) that practice foreshadowed a greater sacrifice that would be offered centuries later-a sacrifice that would provide mankind with true redemption.
The very layout of the tabernacle and temple at which israelites worshipped prefigured the steps the the future Messiah would take from his sacrificial death to his ascension to heaven. *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:44pm
3. A builder is chosen who will follow the blueprints and perform restoration.
Jesus was the promised Messiah who would follow the pattern that was set by the israelites' sacrifices an would give his own life to redeem mankind. Indeed, john the baptizer called Jesus 'the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world' (john 1:29) jesus willingly accepted this assignment. He said 'i have come down from heaven to do, not my will but the will of him that sent me' (john 6:38)
God's will for Jesus included that he not only would 'give his soul a ransom in exchange for many' but also would make a covenant with his followers for a Kingdom.(matthew 20:28; luke 22:29,30) that Kingdom is the means by which God will accomplish his purpose for mankind. The message about God's Kingdom is called 'good news' because it explains that God has set up a government in heaven to take control of earth's affairs (read matthew 24:14; Daniel 2:44) *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:46pm
The restoration work continues.
Befor going up to heaven, Jesus commanded his followers: 'make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things' -matthew 28:19,20
*
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:47pm
So the restoration of mankind would not end with Jesus' death. It would continue all the way to 'the conclusion of the system of things', thats the time when God's Kingdom would begin to take control of our earth. That time is now here. We know this because the sign that Jesus foretold regarding 'the conclusion of the system of things is now being fulfilled. (for the signs read matthew 24:3-14; luke 21:7-11; 2 timothy 3:1-5) *
unquiet1 27.04.10 - 11:48pm
Granted right now you might still hear of terrorist attacks or natural disasters, or you may experience personal tragedy. But a study of the bible will convince you that God has not left mankind. On the contrary 'he is not far off from each one of us' (acts 17:27) and his promise to restore wot our first parents lost WILL succeed (isaiah 55:11) *
