Where's God

 

Pandemics, earthquakes, tornadoes, civil wars, violence, famine, poverty, sickness, pain, death—the list of suffering in the world today gives rise to a universal concern, "Where's God?" To answer this question, we need to start at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1, where it is written that God was at work 'In the beginning....." creating a perfect world for humankind. When God had finished, this world contained everything humankind would ever need. In God's perfect world, sickness and death did not exist. It was a safe place where humankind could live together with God for eternity. 

So, what happened to that world?

Simple answer— humankind sinned, and caused corruption to defile God's perfect world (Genesis 3). Think of it like a computer file that works perfectly fine until one day it is corrupted by a malicious attack. When a computer file is corrupted, it is unuseable and no longer operates as it was intended. Likewise, that's what happened to the perfect world God created for us. This world is sin damaged so nothing operates as God intended. Humankind inherited a legacy of sin from the first family, Adam and Eve. And that legacy still binds and hinders us today.

What is sin? 

Although none of us were in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned, still God passed judgement on all future humankind because He knew that in time, we would commit enough of our own sins to deserve punishment. Sin is willfully disobeying God's laws or commands. You may have heard of The Ten Commandments which were given by God to protect us; and if obeyed, they would stabilize our communities so that we could live peaceful, successful and happy lives. The Bible is full of examples of how humankind ultimately sinned against God, and suffered dire consequences. Even now, commiting acts like greed, robbery, murder, stealing, lying, hating others, premartial sex, homosexuality, adultery, rape, drunkeness, drug abuse are ways we sin against God today. In truth, we all have 'missed the mark' in some way trying to live up to God's standards. 

 "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." Romans 3:23 

Sin has its consequences

God has said, "The soul who sins shall die." Ezekiel 18:20 ESV

And as if that weren't bad enough, sin also separates us from God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were immediately kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Sin robs you of God's presence. Sin hinders your prayers. Sin prevents you from spending eternity in Heaven. Sin keeps you from enjoying what God has planned for you. God hates sin because of what sin does to you. 

 God's remedy for sin

God, in His great love and mercy for us, was not willing to let sin destroy His creation. God knew, even before the first sin was committed, that He would devise a plan to rescue and restore humankind to Himself. 

"Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life." John 3:16  ESV

God's plan involved sacrificing His Son, Jesus, as payment for our sins. Jesus took the punishment we deserved. His death on the Cross was payment and pardon for our sin. Still, a pardon is worthless unless you accept it. The way back into God's good graces is through Jesus Christ, and accepting Him as your Savior. You may think of yourself as a 'good person,' but you still need Jesus to be fully reconciled to God. 

Peace with God 

The world's problems will never be solved through human effort. Jesus Christ is our only hope. True and longlasting peace only comes when you surrender your old life to Christ in exchange for a new beginning.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Ready to take that first step toward a new life? When you say this prayer, with a sincere and repentant heart, your sins are forgiven, and you are reconciled back to God:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and ask You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for the gift of eternal life with you. In Your Name. Amen.

To learn more about your new life in Christ, contact peacewithgod.net  Someone is there 24/7 to talk with you.  

How to get your life unstuck

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God" - (Psalm 42:11).


The other day when I was getting dressed I picked up a garment to put it on and noticed the zipper was stuck. Being somewhat in a hurry, I tugged at the zipper trying to force it to move in either direction, but only made it worse. It was frustrating that this little zipper was taking up so much of my time. I stopped to examine the zipper more closely to determine where it was stuck, then proceeded to pull and tug on it, back and forth even harder—still it would not budge. My frustration was beginning to rise to a level of rage. This stuck zipper was holding me back from what I had planned to do. It was ruining my carefully laid out plan for the attire I wanted to wear, and making me late for the engagement I wanted to attend. Not only was the zipper was stuck, but so was I.

Like that zipper, we see people every day who are stuck in life. Stuck because of things they've done to themselves. Stuck because of things others have done to them. Stuck because they can't figure out a way to get unstuck, so they stay stuck. And remain stuck for years and years.

Does that sound like you? There's hope. Nothing will change until you get tired of being stuck, and decide you want to be free. Back to the example of the zipper. After I calmed down and stopped tugging the zipper back and forth, back and forth, it dawned on me that there was only one way to free that zipper, and that was to keep moving it forward. I realized in doing that the zipper would free itself from the point where it was stuck. Moving it backward and forward had only made things worse. The solution was simple—don't go back, move forward.

Like the zipper, you may be stuck in a place or a situation that you need to get out of, or one from which you think you can't escape or change. It may be a job, a family situation, a run-in with the legal system, a medical crisis, a crisis of faith or any number of things holding you back from making forward progress. And perhaps you think there is no way things are going to change or get better. You've  become discouraged and, now the enemy has you right where he wants you. Things are bound to go downhill from here.

The moment you give in to being stuck you will remain stuck, unless—

you start moving forward against the thing or situation that has you bound. Make up your mind that you will no longer remain in the same dry place where you are today. Do whatever is necessary to move forward one step at a time. You may need help doing it. Seek out the help you need. Don't say you can't because you can. As my mother used to tell me, "There's always a way."

There's no shame in being stuck. You may be stuck, but you don't have to stay there. At peacewithGod.net you just may find the answer you've been searching for to help you get unstuck.