It is somewhat easier to pose rhetorical questions than real
ones. We think we already have an answer
to our query so all we are really doing is reinforcing a predisposed
argument. This is how, very often,
scripture is interpreted. We come to the
Bible with all our predispositions, looking for texts that enforce our point of
view rather than detract from it. If we
encounter a text we cannot easily explain, we write it off as a ‘mystery’ of
the word and maintain our original theories without so much as a momentary pause
to exhale. This is unfortunate. This kind of ‘closed’ mindedness when
approaching the study of God’s word leads to the revelation of very little
personal truth. Our opinions are already
in the way of our study. The Bible is
actually fairly self explanatory about most truths and when we allow for it to
truly teach us, and truly answer our questions – it does.
Most of the time, the problems we get into about the answers
we get, is our dislike of what they say.
You see the revelation of truth to us, has to come in fairly small doses
or it would overwhelm us. We exist so
incredibly FAR from perfection that the journey to it would seem impossible if
we could see the end of the road from where we sit. We would lose hope, give up, and resign
ourselves to self-inflicted pain if we contemplated how much personal change is
in our future. But God does not share
our negative outlooks and patiently begins working with each one of, showing us
just a little bit of truth at a time, and helping us slowly begin to accept it,
digest it, react to it, and finally embrace it.
Then we get the next piece of the puzzle. How much of this work we go through in this
world depends quite a bit on how we treat the answers we get. Keep in mind this work is not to save us, it is because we are saved that we
begin the process of living better and with less and less pain in our lives.
If on your journey, I told you for example that you had to
give up chocolate from your diet entirely – how good would you feel about it in
the short term. Me not being a great big
fan of chocolate, this would not be a huge sacrifice, but just the idea that I
could no longer enjoy it under any circumstances would make me sad. So what do we do with this ‘answer’ we just
got about our lives. After all, a change
in diet hits us right where we live, and chocolate of all things (I guess now
would be a good time to reveal this is merely an example – all you chocoholics
can relax and eat another bite – your safe – this is just an analogy). But to give up something we seem to like so
much; that we take such pleasure in, seems hard to me.
We might hesitate a little about this request (truth). We might ask why? We might not understand the ‘why’
answer. So now what? Do we try to comply, or do we write this
request off, as a bit loony and decide God could not have really meant it? But what if He did. Finding ourselves eating chocolate despite
declarations and intentions not to after some period of time seems likely. Look at the process we go through for every
evil we know we need to be rid of. So it
is not whether we find ourselves failing the truth we discovered again and
again – it is about our recognition of the need to follow truth in the first
place. Our efforts to ‘obey’ God do
count. And our surrender of our will to
Him, can enable the changes he wants to enact in our lives (even if it were to
remove something we find so dear). This
accepting of truth and answers becomes important.
Sometimes the timing of why God asks different things of us
is quite late in coming. Take our chocolate
example above; it could be that we have a very unique food allergy that will
set in upon us in a few years. We need
to be rid of chocolate before this allergy takes hold, as one slip after it
could literally kill us. Of course we
won’t know this fact until a doctor examines us a few years from today, but God
knew about it now, and is helping us pre-plan now, to save us from ourselves at
a later date. Often God asks things of
us for reasons we do not understand at the time, but are in fact for our good. Remember, God is not arbitrary or cruel. Evil is.
God would not ask you to remove chocolate from your life to ‘be mean’. Only to save you from greater pain. This is true about God’s motives for His
answers to EVERY question we pose. When
you do get an answer, you can and should KNOW that it is for your best benefit.
Of course our friends and family may have a completely
different view of the benefit of our truth on them. If we were to give up chocolate and stop
buying it altogether, eliminating it from our home, we might discourage other
chocoholics from coming over to indulge.
We might risk friendships, offend other family members, etc.. But how bad would our family feel if after
the truth of our condition were discovered, they realized their own part in
encouraging us to eat and die? Or how
genuine are the friendships that are based solely on a behavior that will prove
to hurt us over time? Giving up
chocolate is not something others were asked to do, it was only for us. So perhaps we should respectfully follow our
truth, and explain to our family and friends the reasons we must do so. The witness to them in coming years may be
HUGE if we hold to our guns now. Keep in
mind, following this example is only about self-sacrifice in our own behavior,
we compel no one else to follow our own truth.
Sometimes we let logic get in the way of the
supernatural. Keeping with the chocolate
example above; we would not have known the ‘why’ part of God speaking to us
until it was too late for us to give up the habit we had formed. Thus since chocolate is not on the forbidden
foods list in the Bible, there is no counsel by Christ against eating it. Logic dictates we should be fine eating it in
moderation over the course of our lives.
This is purely a logical deduction based on all the facts we have at our
disposal. And therein we doom
ourselves. We rely upon facts we have at
our disposal, instead of trusting a benevolent God who sees beyond our
reach. When faith and logic collide,
trust faith. Your vision is limited,
God’s is not. Your facts are not
absolute, God’s are. Even your motives
are not always pure, but again, God’s are.
If it comes to relying on self, or trusting God – go with the winner
every time – trust God, He has a better record.
After we find we have embraced the truth and answers God has
given us, we seem to find ourselves in another common condition –
ungrateful. Amazing to me, that Christ
heals 10 people from the deadliest and most contagious disease on planet earth
at the time, and only one comes back to say thanks. But look in the mirror, yup there goes one of
the nine. How many countless things has
God saved me from, and how many have I truly thanked Him for. But it gets worse. You see my own personal tendency is to take the
credit for victory over evil, and only marginally acknowledge God’s involvement
in the process – of course until I crash and burn again. Ouch!
How horrible and ungrateful am I?
How completely guilty of not following the humble example of the one, and
instead rationalizing the behavior of the nine.
Time for a quick thank you note to God.
Yes gratitude is quite helpful for instilling and reinforcing humility. And humility is the key ingredient to any
real change in the character of your life.
Pride on the other hand, was the original source of evil, and a real
show-stopper when it comes to giving up cherished habits that will prove our
undoing and cause us real pain.
Here is some good news for you. God knows your limits. He knows what you are capable of hearing and
processing in your life. So if you have
been granted a revelation of truth, count yourself blessed. You are blessed with a truth you can do
something about. Like all other truth,
you can consciously decide to embrace it.
To follow it. To challenge
it. And to make it part of your
existence. This is the beauty of the
answers we receive, they are not beyond our power to accept. They are tailor made for us as
individuals. This also means that truth
for you may not be intended for me, or intended for me yet. God will bring me to truth as He recognizes
my ability to accept it. This is His
job, and He will be the ONLY one who can be successful at it. Answers are for each of us, not for ALL of
us. This is why our job centers on loving
each other – not convincing each other.
I thank God for the answers to my requests. I thank Him for the answers to my
questions. And I thank Him for the
knowledge I am as yet unable to handle, because I know He will reveal it to me
only as I am able. It is so wonderful to
be able to trust our God fully. It is
the reason we can accept answers that exceed logic and require faith.
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