Questions, Questions

When it comes to faith, I don't think it matters how "righteous" you are or how many years you've been in the ministry, we all have questions. There are simply things that we do not have definitive answers to...maybe that's part of the reason we call it faith?

I've noticed that it seems like we can get really caught up trying to answer these questions and, eventually we have to start trying to answer them based on our personal beliefs and that can easily degrade into emotional arguments that nobody participating can possibly win! I also think that, unfortunately, there are some who will reach one of these impasses and start to seriously question God because He doesn't provide us the answer to every question we have when we want it answered.

Be careful about this, because there are questions that we each need to answer for ourselves based on the evidence available to us...and for the most part these aren't the questions we focus upon, instead favoring the more trivial ones. Don't get me wrong, I think it's worthwhile to ponder the universe and to read our Bibles close enough to formulate interesting questions. I'm just cautioning that you don't get so hung up on those questions that you neglect the really important ones.

And just what are the important ones, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did!!! The big ones are whether or not you accept that there is one true God in the universe and especially whether you believe that Jesus was God in human form sent to live a sinless life and die for the sins of all who would believe in Him. For an encore, try taking a look at what the life of someone who truly believes in those things looks like. People say that "all you have to do" is believe in Jesus, but I'm asking what it looks like for a person to truly believe? Is it enough to say it and mean it? Does a person who truly, fully believes in Jesus exhibit some similar characteristics of others who truly, fully believe? Are these the people who always give the guy on the street corner $5? Are they the ones who make sure they go to church every Sunday morning and evening and on Wednesday nights? How do they act and what do they sound like when they talk? How do I know if I really, truly believe in Jesus as my savior and Lord???

Those are the questions you really need to know how to answer. If you aren't sure, maybe you need to keep searching until you are sure. Maybe we're never 100% sure, but I know that I want to be as close to that mark as possible. Read your Bible, read what others have to say on the subject, or maybe just pray a whole bunch about it and ask for help figuring it out...all I know is it should consume your life on Earth because those answers will affect you for eternity (if you believe!). The reason I can say that is found at the end of the Bible, in chapter 20 (11 through 15) of Revelation:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Really kinda seems like The Book Of Life or the Lake Of Fire are our two choices, and while Lake Of Fire sounds like a really cool name for a heavy metal band I don't think that's where any sane, rational person would want to spend eternity. So get to work and let's get those questions answered...what do you say?