My darling is suffering with Gastroenteritis again. Just when we thought all was well, we decide to have soy sauce on steak. With a matter of hours, Stephanie was sitting and you know what and the following morning it was burps with bits all over again. Since then we have been to Dr Doctor and he prescribed some pills to help the symptoms, which shall remain nameless. I got into trouble for last graphic description, so this time I will just leave to you to work out. The pills have made her sleepy. But at least the symptoms have eased up. I am off work to play Mr Mum again. I am happy with the Mr Mum bit, but not the other bit. Some one down there must be awfully cranky with us I think. Maybe we helped some one he didn't want to be helped. Mind you we have been involved in some politics lately that saw all the browny points I had built up over a long period of time, disappear in one telephone call. Or maybe it is just the season and we it is all a matter of "fate".
You know I would not like to be Fate. Fate gets the blame for all sorts of things. Bit like "Chance". Chance gets the blame also.
So, back to dear wife and her interesting life experience. Here sit I with one daughter snoring beside Mum and the other sitting here beside me doing Leap Frog Letter Pad. She is happy. I am happy.
Like the subject line? There was once upon a time a religious group who would come a calling and that question was their opening line. I haven't seen them for years. No I am not going to name them. But if they have a come a calling then most likely that was the question they would ask.
I use to dread them calling. I would keep watch and when I saw them I would try to make out I wasn't interested. I was always polite. Then one day they came a calling and asked that question. Did I think there was any hope for humanity? Well, at that time, yes I did. I told them so. As I said to them, 2000 years ago Christ died on a cross on a hill for the sin and sins off all man kind. For God so loved the world...... I then proceeded to give them a gospel message. They couldn't/wouldn't refute what I was saying. They then suddenly decided that they had better places to be and an urgent appointment that they were late for. That was being said as they were leaving/running down my path. Funny, I never saw them again. The pastor of the church that I was in was spending hours talking to one of the lady's from that group. Days in fact. Going around in circles and not making any progress. In the end it started to impact on our church and he was requested to pack it in and get back to the job in hand.
Well, that was a long story about the past. Now to the present. That was 30 years ago almost. Would my answer be the same today? I was a young, brash, egotistical brand new believer then, with more mouth than common sense and no experience. In many ways I was living purely on faith. A good thing. But that's another story. Let me not get side tracked.
If I was asked to day, the 23rd day of May in the year 2008 AD, what would my answer be to the question: "Is there any hope for man?"
No. For individuals here and there, yes. For man kind? No. The message is the same. Christ died for our sin. That's the same. The life that He lived qualified Him for the death He died. He died to redeem you and I from our wilful sins, of which there are many. But that death and resurrection only has effect if we ask for it. Apart from that it is and was an utter waste of time. Shocked? If you are a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ then you ought not to be. Observe your fellow man. Go on. Take a good solid look at him/her/them. Take a good look at them. They want to live and independent life and not acknowledge God's rightful claim to their life. They do not want God. Full stop, end of story. Does God have a right to lay claim to their life? Yes. Why? Because He created them. And because He died on a wooden cross to save them from their sin, to live within them the life He wants for them to live.
You know, it is a pretty scary thought that when Noah built the ark, also known as a dirty big box, that there were possible 8 billion people on earth. How many went into that ark and were saved from the impending rain shower? 8. That's it. The sum total of all the people alive on the earth at that time that survived the flood was........ eight.
OK. Now lets fast forward to today. How many people alive on the late great planet earth today? As of May 2008 the world's population is believed to be just over 6.7 billion. OK, now for a little maths. If 8 out of approximately 8 billion survived the flood, how many out of approximately 6.7 billion will be saved if God were to pull the switch right now. 6.7. I believe it is called a remnant.
Now I have a question for you. Why? Why would God allow this? And no pat Biblical answers please. Don't get me wrong. God is quite justified in this. If for now other reason that it is His sand pit and He can do what ever He pleases with His sand pit. Why is it so that God will save one billionth of all the people who have ever lived and the rest will disappear into nothingness.
And now for another question. Is this the action of a God of love?
That leads to anther question. How can God like something as obnoxious as man? Remember God created us.
That leads to another interesting theory. Calvinist's, or those who believe in double predestination would have us believe that that with the exception of one billionth of man kind, every single person is destined to hell. Now that is an interesting thought I am sure you will agree. That sort of goes with the thought that God is evil.
I will be very interested to hear your thoughts. Maybe you wish to respond. Probably not.
No comments:
Post a Comment