Do you?

Do you?
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.”   

                                                             Hebrews 11:1.

Having faith in someone or something is perhaps the hardest thing a person can do. Scientist do it all the time. They observe things then make an hypothesis. Quite often it is many years before that hypothesis is proven or disproved. Some of Einstein’s theories were not proven until after his death.
So it is with God. Whether you believe in God or not, no one can know for sure if God exists for certain until after their death. That being said you must make your decision about God in this life.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
So the question becomes. Do you believe in God.
Blaise Pascal said,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
Please think about it.

Three ways

Three ways
Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman said,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.
To my way of thinking there are three ways of viewing God.

1. You can simply say God does not exist.
2. You can give intellectual consent and say God exists, but have no real faith in Him.
3. You can have complete faith in God.   The Bible makes it clear that it is the latter, faith in God that gets us to heaven. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
The Apostle Paul states,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9
Sadly many people today either say they don’t believe in God or simply give intellectual consent to his existence. They say God exists but have no real faith in Him. Their true faith is elsewhere.
Matthew’s gospel tells this story of a young man who came to Jesus,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22.
This man believed in the existence of God. He gave intellectual consent to the existence of God. He even followed the Laws given by God through Moses.
His failing however was he had more faith in his wealth and possessions than in God.
As Jesus told the Samaritan woman,

“God is spirit, 

and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

                                                                                           John 4:24.

In order to be a true believer in Christ Jesus. A true believer in God we must put our complete faith in Him.
The Psalmist states,

“I wait for the LORD, 

my soul waits,

 and in his word I put my hope.” 

                                   Psalm 130:5.

Do you put your hope in God?
The writer of Proverbs tells us,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding;” 

                                                        Proverbs 3:5.

Do you have this kind of trust in God?
Please think about it.

Interesting Observations

Interesting Observations
The Psalmist wrote,

“The fool says in his heart, 

“There is no God.” 

                                                          Psalm 14:1.

Billy Graham the great American Evangelist said,
“I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God, but I believe.”
                                                                                        Billy Graham.
I’m with Billy Graham on this. We may not be able to sit down and make a scientific formula that proves the existence of God. That however doesn’t preclude his existence.
We can however see God’s handiwork. The Psalmist telling us,

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                                                  Psalm 19:1.

I do not believe that the universe came into existence randomly that takes more faith than I have. I can however see the hand of God the creator in the universe.
Just take a look around from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particle every thing is perfectly harmonized to create life as we know it. This to me suggests there is a creator.
I’m not hung up on whether God created the world in billions of years or in six days. Such a thing is immaterial to my faith.
The fact of the matter is I believe God exists and the more I see and observe the world around me the more I see His hand.
Furthermore I believe the God that created the heavens and the earth entered this world in the form of His one and only Son Jesus Christ. He did this in order to point mankind to heaven.
Yes I know this sounds at the very least foolishness but I believe it is true. The Apostle Paul wrote.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness

 to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved 

it is the power of God.” 

                                                                                   1 Corinthians 1:18.
I think all too often man want’s God to operate the way he thinks. God however does not do this. God works in his own ways.
It would be very easy for God to show himself and force everyone to worship Him but God does not want that. In creating mankind he made each individual unique, with a freewill to do as they wished even if it meant not believing in Him.
God requires the individual to have faith in him. The writer of Hebrews stating,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

 Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe 

that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

 Hebrews 11:6.

God I believe has shown Himself to mankind in various ways, the creation of the universe being just one way, the Hebrew prophets was another, the Bible yet another, and even by entering the Universe he created in the form of his one and only Son Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3  
This is what I and all Christians believe. The choice however is entirely up to you the reader.
Please think about it.

God and You

God and you
The Book of Genesis tells us,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
Now whether God created the heavens and the earth in six days of sixty billion years has no bearing on my faith. I believe there is a God and that He created the universe and everything in it.
That being said there was a picture taken back in 1990 by the NASA space probe Voyager. Voyager has the distinction of flying further in space than any other space craft. It is still going and is now beyond the solar system. I’ve put the picture at the top of this article. Carl Sagan at the time called it a Pale blue dot.
Officially this “Pale Blue Dot” is a photograph of planet Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometres (3.7 billion miles,)
Carl Sagan said of it,
“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.” Carl Sagan.
When I as a Christian look at it I am amazed. This “mote of dust” as Sagan calls it is in the exact spot not only in the solar system but in the universe for life to exist as we know it.
Yet looked at in terms of the universe as a whole it seems insignificant. It is so small that it could easily be overlooked.
God however did not overlook it. John’s gospel tells us,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4,14. 
God considered His creation and in particular mankind so important that He in the form of Jesus Christ entered this world to point mankind to heaven.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
That being said I admit it takes a great deal of faith to believe as I and other Christians do.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope

 for and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                                                   Hebrews 11:1.
I believe God wanted things this way because people of faith are the strongest of believers. Scientist are a good example of people of faith. They postulate a theory and continue to believe in it until it is proven wrong. Albert Eienstein is a good example. Some of his theories were not proven until well after his death.
Thus it is with anyone who believes in God.
Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,

“I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God,

but I believe.”

                                                                        Billy Graham.
Blaise Pascal said belief in God I believe is a wise wager. He wrote,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
 Thus the question becomes are you willing to wager on what you believe in regards to God?
Please think about it.