A crisis in identity...
A crisis in identity...
Who am I and where am I going--part two.
Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013 Terry
Dashner
If I have a unique watch--no other one like it in the entire
world--and it fails, to repair it would require, at minimum, a
schematic drawing from the watch maker who built it; however, to
have the original watch maker, himself, repair it would be
ideal.
The Bible says that we are uniquely made by God, Himself. If you
believe this you can rest assuredly that when things go askew in
you life, God alone is the one who can get you back on track. As
Professor Kreeft says in his book, Your Questions God's Answers
(Ignatius Press, 1994), "Only our Author knows us completely. In
God's mind, and there alone, can we find the secret of our
identity. God alone knows all things, our past, our present, and
our future.
"Therefore, only by finding God can I find my true self. That's
where the secret of my identity is. To try to find out who I am
by ignoring my Creator is like trying to find out who a
character is by ignoring the character's author.
"But how can I know God? I'm only a human being, and not the
most brilliant human being in the world, by any means. How could
little me possibly figure out the mind of the great God?
"No way. But I can know God on one condition: if God takes the
initiative and tells me about himself and about myself, if God
teaches me, if God 'reveals' himself (Jn 6:44-45)."
This is where a schematic comes in very handy. The schematic I'm
referring to is God's Word, the Bible. The Book was compiled
over a period of 1400 years with many authors. The Book is God's
revelation of who He is and what He wants from us. The Book is
not like any other book ever written by man. The Bible is God's
inspired plan for all His creation. Holy men of God wrote down
His words as God moved upon them. Did He possess their minds and
control their hands in writing? No, God used men from various
backgrounds, according to their unique personalities to record
His Word to mankind.
Just as Jesus had two natures--human and God--so the Bible has
duality. It is both human and divine. It is of the earth to
relate to the earthy creatures of this world. Also, it is the
very breathe of God to restore life to His errant and sinful
man.
In the Bible we discover who God is, what He is like, what He
wants from us, and what He can give to us through His Son, Jesus
Christ. He gives us eternal life. He gives us purpose in living.
He gives us blessings daily, which is our daily bread. He gives
us everything that pertains to living and godliness. He gives.
He gives. He gives. And I get to receive. Believe me, I get the
better end of the deal.
More later...Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming
soon. Pastor T.