Why is God blamed for so much?

Sadly we have witnessed a pronounced rise in hatred and violence not only around the world but right here in the United States of America. We have witnessed a pronounced spike in wanton waste of life by shooting innocent people for incomprehensible reasons along with a rise in racial tension and strife not seen since MLK's march to Selma.

From the Columbine shootings in 1999 to the UCC shooting in my hometown of Roseburg, OR, to the Las Vegas shooting earlier this year, and most recently the church massacre in Sutherland, TX,
outside of San Antonio, certainly raised the same question we always seem to ask in the wake of a tragedy like a shooting or a child having cancer: IF there is a God, why did he allow this to happen?

It certainly seems a fair question given how much we believers tell everyone we worship a LOVING God who wants the best for us. So how can we reconcile that belief with the pain with a senseless shooting or a loss of a loved one, any time of year, but especially around the holidays?

Simply put, in my opinion, THIS is not the world God created. What God created for us in Eden was perfection, harmony and life in a balance with nature. He gave us but one rule, to not eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Sadly, we know we failed to follow that one rule and were thus banned from the garden and condemned to farm soil with rocks and thorns and women to suffer terrible birth pains.

First, I am personally tired of my God first being attacked then removed more and more from our society and then being blamed for the mess WE create in his absence. Sounds a lot like most people today when trying to coach or correct them, I have found most people are not comfortable handling blame in the workplace so it is not a surprise this trend transcends to the spiritual realm.

On that note, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit priest once wrote we are "Spritiual beings on a human journey". In other words, when God created us in their image, we were made into a human form for our time on Earth but will receive a new body in the coming Kingdom. As a spirit, we were not meant to die so for us this is a new and painful lesson each must learn to process on their own in their own way.

In that light, we realize a significant part of life is death. That is what makes life so valuable- it is fleeting and we never know the hour at which we will be called back to God.

Another consideration to keep in mind when someone leaves the Earth, assuming they are a believer, is they are then entered into God's presence. Many witnesses who have purportedly died and then come back to life tell a similar story in which they have felt such warmth and comfort they have not wanted to return. Colors so vibrant, sounds so pure, feelings and sensations which cannot be adequately explained in words await us once we leave this existence. That is a welcome promise of things to come and what we will be awaiting us.

Next, I submit this pain we feel, when considered in terms of infinity is akin to a scraped knee when I was a child riding a bike. My parents loved me, and protected me, but to experience life and LIVE, I was going to be hurt a few times. In the big picture, this temporary pain will subside and ultimately be completely removed, not in this life but in the next. WE just need to have the faith the LORD will see us through. 

 It has been my experience since I became a believer I am not afraid of death per se', but it has also created a sense of urgency for me since I believe in an after life of either Heaven or Hell, I feel a lot is at stake and too many people are comfortable where they are or listening to Satan that they are "a good person". The path of Righteousness is a narrow path, but the road to destruction is wide.

Lastly, I like to think when a loved one is taken suddenly or when a child succumbs to an illness, God is simply wanting that angel back with Him. Knowing we will again be united with that loved one gives us hope, something to be thankful for and to look forward to. For that and my salvation, I am thankful all I had to do is accept the gift Jesus gave me.  How about you? 

But WHY did Jesus die for our sins?

Jesus's sacrifice on the cross was just the beginning of a spiritual journey

It's been far too long for me since my last post. Many distractions including business travel and life have interfered.

Not an excuse, just reality for me.  In the time since my last post I have had many words given me from God, but one that hit me square between the eyes a few months ago while I was in service at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX.

Over the years, I have spoken to many people on faith and have had many discussions about salvation, even taught a few Sunday School classes about the cleansing and salvation of Christ's sacrifice for us to wash us of our sins so we can enter Heaven.

One's salvation is of utmost importance in the long-run of course, but I feel it is a bit myopic, particularly when you consider the gravity of our society's degradation and moral collapse.

Everywhere we look we see "intellectuals" lean on their own understanding and worldly wisdom as they conjure up policies and legislation concerning Americans. 10 years ago if you were to ask the average American we would have a need for transgender bathrooms and most would not have known what was being asked. What are we to do in the mean time as a world hell-bent on running from the Bible rather than to-it?

A few months ago it became crystal clear to me what our faith in Jesus was all about:

 A RELATIONSHIP!    

Pastor Robert Morris was talking about having a personal relationship with God and the importance of it in his life and how important it is for each of us. expecting God to come looking for him. God communed with them each and every day since their creation. Now we don't know how long that period was, and it doesn't matter. Once man ate of the fruit we could no longer be in God's presence so we were banished from the garden to the fallen world.

Suddenly I recalled Genesis 3:10 when God came looking for Adam & Eve in the cool of the evening. God revealed to me this was a recurring event since Adam went to hide, he was obviously expecting the visit. He gave us but ONE law and we failed that.

God then gave us the law which we tried to live under for centuries but failed miserably with only 10 simple commandments. True to our nature of worrying about EVERYONE else and seeking greater restrictions, we inundated society with overly-pious rules. You know, the ones the Pharisees created to justify their positions in ancient Judea?

In those days, only a high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies to commune with God one on one, which is not what God wanted for us. We all seek to replace Him, but sadly many turn to materials to do so and are never satiated.

In the Gospels we see Jesus explain this to Satan who is tempting Him with material things and comfort (food, perhaps most notably), His response is succinct and clear to us today:
 "it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  - Matthew 4:4

What this simply means is wordly sustenance is not enough for us. It sustains the physical body, which is important of course, but this body is only temporary. A popular secular thought seems to have some sage insight: Where the mind goes, the body will follow." In other words, if we think low, we act low. Expect the most from your subordinates at work or your family and they will grow. Think poorly of them and they will prove you right. That's the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Knowing this, we can easily understand what was being said at our creation.  Genesis 1:26 reads "Let us make man in our image" which, when you read it in perspective, means we are actually spiritual beings in an earthly body. 

God is triune, our families are supposed to be triune, and to take it a step further, even Jesus had 2-3 people He relied upon during His ministries, but that is a topic for another article. So important is the relationship with the Father in fact, I believe it was this impending separation from the Father which caused Jesus to suffer from hematohidrosis, or sweating blood, on the night of his betrayal. THAT is how profound and vital to Jesus a direct and daily communion with our Father was to him.

We are social creatures and need to be poured into as we pour into others. Whom better to pour into you than your heavenly Father?  He is waiting. Talk to Him right now!  You won't be sorry.