Thoughts about God and if such a being exists

Note, I was born into a family with Christian faith.  However, like many people, my parents were Christian by birth.  It wasn’t until I was about 10 years old, my family began taking the Christian faith seriously.  Even still, there is much I know about God that was handed down to me by my parents and places I’ve lived.  Being human, even with good intentions we can mess up things. 

I’ve been taught God is all powerful, all knowing, and has always existed.  He is perfect in every way.  For me, imagining a being as all powerful and all knowing isn’t too difficult.  The always existed part is difficult.  Everything on earth has a beginning and end.  Something that has always been and will always be is mind blowing. 

We like to think of God as loving or at least benevolent.  Some people have their doubts.  Recently, I’ve had some thoughts on this matter.  With all the bad in the world, is it really difficult to believe God is good?  Consider this:  If God is all powerful and not benevolent, life on earth would be hell everywhere at all times.  What is there to stop an evil being that can’t be hindered in any way?  If God actually did speak the universe into existence, what puny work of our hands can match up with Him?

In the Christian faith, we believe we cannot earn our way into God’s favor.  Because of the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, man is forever cursed to a life of sin.  The bible states in Isaiah 64:6 that all our works (some translations say our righteous acts) are as filthy rags.  

If the best we can is worthless, we have no hope?  In the book of Job, after Job lost all his wealth and children, he also lost his health.  He wondered why God was against him but also why God was silent.  As the devil continued to pressure Job to curse God, Job realized how helpless he was.  If God was truly against him, Job recognized his helplessness to making things right.  Therefore, it all rested on God to mend any rift.  The same translates to us now.  If God is against us, we are completely damned.  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Another thought I’ve had lately is about faith.  We talk about having faith and that when we do so, we believe things we can’t see or hold.  Therefore, in a way, to believe God exists, even for those who see evidence of His existence by the mere reality of the universe, is an act of faith.  Still, we must live life where we are.  It takes faith to believe you will have enough money for your rent/mortgage, daily meals, car repairs etc.  These are tangible.  What about personal things?

We talk about having the faith to be healed of disease but what about faith to be sick?  We are told if we have faith we can accomplish great things.  What if we are called to toil with no obvious results or if someone else gets the acclaim?  Do we have faith to be no one when the world thinks everyone should be important and glamorous? 

Let me finish with this thought:  One of my prayers this year is for God to show me things I believe to be true but aren’t.  Whether they are things specifically about God or life, I want to know if my beliefs are wrong.  Only when I see things properly can I live life correctly.  Only if my faith is based on truth can I live out that faith to ends that are within God’s will. 

#faith #christian