Monday, September 8, 2014
408 - Understanding without Answers
Spirituality Column #408
September 9, 2014
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville
- Perpetual immersion in the comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit,
- Resolute vigilance against the evil of the enemy and great deceiver Satan.
A Christian could do worse than to possess and exhibit these traits. But we are instructed by countless secular, philosophical, academic and atheist demagogues to take their word for it, there is no brilliant light, absolute truth, or unwavering good.
Faithful, steadfast, perpetual, resolute? No. The great, dynamic drama of God’s creation and man’s role in it – we are advised – is a myth for suckers. Further, only misbegotten arrogance would cause one to call anything “evil.” Culture dismisses both divine glory and fallen evil – “it’s just your opinion,” “don’t judge me,” “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” “I’m a good person,” etc.
Talk about “misbegotten arrogance.”
Man was created by God with both the desire to worship something and the freedom to decide what that would be. Satan suggests we direct that worship toward ourselves. We go a step further and create our own gods. Political correctness and social science reign as the quasi-spiritual coins of the earthly-focused modern realm. That’s how society rolls these days and, we suppose, largely how fallen man has rolled ever since Satan suggested Adam and Eve deserved equal knowledge with God.
Our problem is that we generally have more questions than answers about the One True God. Jesus constantly tells the disciples there are things about Him they cannot understand. God told Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than man’s thoughts and ways. We imagine it to be an unfair allocation of thoughts and ways.
With Satan’s urging and glee, we demand answers. The self-piously educated world erroneously supposes man’s character to be the final arbiter of morality. We shouldn’t be surprised it has come to that. Modern mankind has put vast cultural energies into education in humanities, science and technology. Our lust for answers has overtaken our reverence for God’s sovereign plan for the glory of His Creation. We imagine the answer to the eternal equation is: “Me.”
Among the groanings of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the Bible, the traditions and fellowship of the Church and the lessons of all the saints – merged with sober, reflective time in prayer – one can develop a pretty vivid understanding of God’s intentions.
And His intention is for us to trust Him, and to understand that we must have the right answer for Him. And that answer is “Yes.”
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has learned that seeking truth doesn’t always mean demanding answers. Often it means “praying for faith.”
September 9, 2014
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville
Understanding without Answers
By Bob Walters
-
Faithful assuredness in the One True Creator God Almighty,
-
Steadfast conviction in the Lordship of Jesus Christ,- Perpetual immersion in the comfort and peace of the Holy Spirit,
- Resolute vigilance against the evil of the enemy and great deceiver Satan.
A Christian could do worse than to possess and exhibit these traits. But we are instructed by countless secular, philosophical, academic and atheist demagogues to take their word for it, there is no brilliant light, absolute truth, or unwavering good.
Faithful, steadfast, perpetual, resolute? No. The great, dynamic drama of God’s creation and man’s role in it – we are advised – is a myth for suckers. Further, only misbegotten arrogance would cause one to call anything “evil.” Culture dismisses both divine glory and fallen evil – “it’s just your opinion,” “don’t judge me,” “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” “I’m a good person,” etc.
Talk about “misbegotten arrogance.”
Man was created by God with both the desire to worship something and the freedom to decide what that would be. Satan suggests we direct that worship toward ourselves. We go a step further and create our own gods. Political correctness and social science reign as the quasi-spiritual coins of the earthly-focused modern realm. That’s how society rolls these days and, we suppose, largely how fallen man has rolled ever since Satan suggested Adam and Eve deserved equal knowledge with God.
Our problem is that we generally have more questions than answers about the One True God. Jesus constantly tells the disciples there are things about Him they cannot understand. God told Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than man’s thoughts and ways. We imagine it to be an unfair allocation of thoughts and ways.
With Satan’s urging and glee, we demand answers. The self-piously educated world erroneously supposes man’s character to be the final arbiter of morality. We shouldn’t be surprised it has come to that. Modern mankind has put vast cultural energies into education in humanities, science and technology. Our lust for answers has overtaken our reverence for God’s sovereign plan for the glory of His Creation. We imagine the answer to the eternal equation is: “Me.”
Among the groanings of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the Bible, the traditions and fellowship of the Church and the lessons of all the saints – merged with sober, reflective time in prayer – one can develop a pretty vivid understanding of God’s intentions.
And His intention is for us to trust Him, and to understand that we must have the right answer for Him. And that answer is “Yes.”
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has learned that seeking truth doesn’t always mean demanding answers. Often it means “praying for faith.”
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