Understanding the World through God

Psalm 119:130 declares, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Yet how do most people understand the world around them? Often it is science that informs them about the world. Through careful observation, they strive to understand the world around them in new and incredible ways. They look above the stars and galaxies beyond and even interactions between particles that are too small for the naked eye to see.

Science is limited by the paradigm of the researchers and their own personal beliefs. Science is supposed to be objective, emotionless, and based upon cold hard facts; however, it is based on pre-established laws and theories. For better or worse, science is bounded by what we think we already know. As useful as science may be, it is not what we have our hope in.

J.C Philpot writes, 'It seems as if we needed day by day to be taught over and over again our own sinfulness, weakness, and helplessness, and that none but the blessed Lord can do us any real good. Religion is not like any art or science which, when once learned, is learned forever; but is a thing which we are ever forgetting, and ever learning over and over again."

Science would have us believe that we can find all the answers to life if we look and search hard enough. Science, in fact, is looking to find this very thing: one theory which explains everything in the universe. Without acknowledging God, this feat will never be accomplished. As rational as science is, it refuses to accept that nothing  can come into being or hold itself together in existence without God.

Living Life

God's Mercy Corrects

Everyone makes mistakes, while some people make lots of mistakes. Fortunately, we can learn from our failure. Our failures help us confront the difficulties and weakness in our lives with cold, harsh, truth. Lesson borne from difficult often stick with us.

When we backslide and sin, God is faithful and will rebuke us. This probably will not be a fun experience, but it does show God's love for us. Thomas Watson writes, "God shows mercy in correcting us. He is angry-in love... His rod is not a a rod of iron to break us-but fatherly rod to humble us. '[God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.]' (Heb. 12:10)."

We do not often associate mercy with correction. We usually associate correction with judgment. Mercy, however, is about ending suffering, and God wants our suffering to end. The fact of the matter is, when we sin, we suffer. There is a direct correlation to sin and suffering. Sin always hurts someone, which is why God hates sin so much.

God is infinite and perfect; He really does know what is best for us. We may not always like accepting this as a fact. We fight and resist Him, but God does not give up on us. He wrestles with us through our problems. Every relationship will have its share of difficulties. We can choose to ignore these difficulties and let the relationship suffer, or we can confront the issue. The strongest relationships is life are not the ones without conflict, but the ones that overcome conflict.

Living Life