About 35 years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, “God, if there is a God, I’m open. If you’re real, I want to know you’re real. And, Jesus Christ, if you can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it.”
You know what happened? I didn’t get goose bumps. I didn’t cry. No bright lights shone down — nothing like that.
Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life, because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.
Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, “I want the truth more than anything else.” Once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?
First, through creation.
We learn a lot about God and a lot about truth just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important — it helps us understand God and his universe.
For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.
The Bible says, “The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 MSG).
God will also lead us to the truth through conscience, through careful consideration, through God’s commandments, and through Jesus Christ. We’ll talk more about it in the next few days.
Talk It Over
Why is God’s truth often inconvenient?
What do you need to change about your attitude so that you can earnestly seek truth?
How have you seen aspects of God’s character revealed in creation?
Post a Comment