Many people wonder why God doesn't just "show himself to the world" so that we may all see and believe. Well, anyone who continues to ask that, does not fully understand or know the bible. Time after time in the Old Testament, God revealed himself to the people. There were miracles, prophecies, parting of rivers, the 10 commandments, military victories, tornadoes of fire, etc. Unfortunately, after every event, God's people forgot what He had done. They turned back to their old ways and began worshiping/creating false gods.
Even after Jesus walked on this Earth raising people from the dead, healing the blind and sick, feeding thousands of people out of just a few loaves of bread, walking on water, and turning water into wine his disciples almost immediately threw all of the physical evidences of God (along with all his words and predictions to his death) away.
Luke 24 depicts the scene of two of Jesus' disciples meeting Jesus on the road after the resurrection. One would think these disciples would remember God's words (and recognize Jesus) especially after all they had witnessed:
". . . the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him mover to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life" (Matthew 20:17-19)
Jesus said the above words directly to his 12 apostles. Yet as these 2 men were walking along the road, they assumed Jesus was a visitor to Jerusalem. They spoke to him about the man who was crucified, a great prophet, the one they thought would "redeem Israel."
How could these men not know Jesus? They were the ones who knew him the most while on this Earth yet they STILL had to have Jesus(disguised as a visitor) explain to them why He(Jesus) was the Christ! It says that Jesus explained the Scripture to them and all it had said regarding the Christ: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:27)
So ask yourself, why do you need God to reveal himself to you? What good would it do? Would you honestly change your life and live it better? Would you forget it? Would you go and tell others? Would other people even believe you? This is why (if you remember my devotion about Elijah on the mountain), God does not want to have to show himself to us in a BIG way. He would much rather be that whisper, that intimate, close relationship that only we can explain. This is why God is so special. And don't forget, you never know how often you are actually interacting with God. Look at the disciples, they did not even know they were speaking with Jesus on the road! How often do we encounter Him in our lives and dismiss Him?
God Bless you all,
Ashley
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31
Some responses from those who receive my devotions in email format:
ReplyDeleteThe Lord says "when you seek me you will find me, when you seek me with all your heart". So, again it comes down to a trust issue...are you going to trust that if you continue to seek Him in this, you will find Him and there you will be set free?
It's pretty ironic isn't it? It's all about faith!!!!
That was part of an email that I sent a friend who has a history of getting worried and not completely trusting God at times...the last line says it all...It IS All About Faith but at the same time when we know God we can see Him in everything. I get so frustrated with people who are aethiests because the evidence of "master design" is all around us! One of my favorite but also one of the scariest (for unbelievers) scriptures in the Bible is in Romans; "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)
I see God everyday and I am SOOO Thankful for the gift of faith that He has given me!!!
One more response from someone who receives my emails:
ReplyDeleteWell first off, a response to your first email.
You asked how it was possible that the disciples did not recognize Jesus, since they had been with Him for all that time. The answer is quite simple. In Luke 24:16 it says "but they were kept from recognizing Him." And that isn't saying that it was their lack of faith or unbelief, but it refers to something greater (Jesus Himself) keeping them from seeing who He was at that time. That is why in verse 31 it says "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him." God just did what He did cause He wanted to.
As for the second email.
Everyone can see that God exists, whether they want to or not. The issue is whether or not their eyes are opened to see truth. Anyone who isn't crazy knows that there is something greater than him; whether it is God or the earth or evolution or the big bang, there is something bigger. The natural form of man is against God, we are not born with a love for God. Each human is born into a sinful nature, and the sinful nature is contrary to God. The only way out of our natural state is if God opens up our eyes and reveals His truth to us. We don't have to meet a standard before He saves us, in fact, we cannot ever reach a place where He will finally save us. God, in His timeless state, saves us and draws us to Him in order that we may give ourselves to Him.
Your father-in-law did write some good stuff though.