Can Man Live Without God

The other day I was walking out of Barnes and Noble book store with excitement in my heart while my hands were holding my new book. My sweet friend, whom I admire very much and I look to her for guidance often, asked me, "What did you get?" I took my precious new book out of the little white bag they had just placed my new treasure in and she read the title out loud, "Can Man Live Without God". With love in her eyes she proceeded to tell me a story and it goes something like this:

There were these two friends that were on the US diving team competing against one another, but practicing together. During their training time, they become very close friends with very different beliefs. One was an atheist and the other a Christian. Their time of training was drawing to a close for the trials were going to start soon. The Christian was not feeling very well one day and decided that it was time to take a break from practice, just this once. As his friend was headed out of the door he stopped him and said, "You know you should just give praying a chance. You never know how this can change your life." As the atheist was entering the training facility, he noticed that the lights were off. Very unusual, but he thought it may be nice for the facility had sky lights that would show nicely on the pool. As he began his climb to the top of the highest diving board, his friend's words were resounding in his mind, "pray". He stopped at the end of the board and decided that instead of immediately turning around, he would for once bend over and try out this praying thing. As he did, he noticed that the pool did not look right. It was empty!

She drew her story to a close with these words, "Had he not stopped to pray he would have dived into an empty pool." With that my friend nodded her head, turned and started to walk toward her car. The conversation was over, but my questions remained unanswered. And with that, I held on tighter to my new book, for I knew I would find some answers here.

In the very first chapter Ravi Zacharias addresses this kind of answer we as Christians give to very deep and complex questions. Have you ever been asked a very deep question like, "Can man live with out God?" I have. What do I say? Do I give them a swimming pool answer that is, in Ravi's words, "quite frankly, superficial and simple." I need real answers to real questions, and this is where my new found book has given me more strength.

There are three levels of philosophy- logic, the arts, and table talk. We need to be able to "Argue at level one, illustrate at level two, and apply at level three. The reasoning process provides the foundation, the arts the infrastructure and illustration, and the kitchen table the superstructure and application."

Learning how to communicate within our culture is a must. There is no way I can give you the information that you need within this very short blog, but if you want to be able to give real answers instead of swimming pool solutions, please get it. I will end with one paragraph within the book. Within this one statement are many deep questions, but within the book you find the answers:

"The issue, then, is not whether the belief system you espouse-- monotheistic, atheistic, pantheistic, or otherwise-- is exclusive. The issue is whether the answers to the four basic questions of life pertaining to origin, meaning, morality, and destiny within the context of each of these worldviews meet the tests of truth. Are they logically consistent, are they empirically adequate, and are they experientially relevant? Do they meet the test of unaffirmability and undeniability? The answers to life's four questions must in each instance correspond to reality, and the sum of the answers must cohere as a system."

I want to have meaningful conversations with others around me. 1 Peter 3:15-17, "And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" I do not want to suffer because I was not able to give a defense for the hope I have in Christ. I highly recommend this book!
Can Man Live Without God by Ravi Zacharias

A Moment in Time

Have you ever wondered how your attitude affects how others see you? We have a tendency to "play off" who we really are. We make excuses for how we act. We think, "That is not who I am. Yes, I did that, but I was under a lot of stress that day." The problem is not that we have one bad day, a moment in time where we lost it. The truth of the problem surfaces when we can take a good look at our life and see that "it" occurs everyday and "it" really is not a moment type situation, but a life of having the wrong attitude. A moment in time, every day, when we follow the pounding of our heart. A moment in time, every day, where if we could see what others are seeing, we would be appalled.

I looked up attitude in the index of my bible and I was kind of surprised to read what it referenced. I was expecting to see things like complaining, happy... you know those emotional type descriptions. While those were there, those descriptions were few. What it referenced most were topics dealing with how we act. What do we do? What are our hearts desires? Do we practice what we preach? Do your actions reflect the things of the world or of Christ?

This got me thinking. How do others really see me? Most importantly, how does my family see me? I may be able to put on an act in public, but no one can put on an act all of the time. This is how I must evaluate my attitude, my hearts desires. I must look at my action through my families eyes. How do I talk to my husband? How do I talk/treat my children? I think this is where many "pastors" loose their children. They speak one thing, but in their homes, they forget to practice what they preach.

1 Corinthians 10:33, "I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved." This is not talking about being a "people pleaser". This is about holding to your beliefs, what you say you believe, so that when others see you they can see you walking with Christ and living a truly changed life. We do not go on vacation and forget what is truly important. You've heard the saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." I've got news for you. It does not. You cannot just leave your life, change your surroundings for a moment, and change who you are. If you can do that, maybe who you really are is that person you become when you think no one can see you. That is the hardest part of me that I have ever had to deal with. Who is the real me? And can I change the real me and still be real?

Matthew 15:8-9, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God." The real me is a follower of Christ. I worship Him in my daily living. I worship Him when I am on vacation. I cannot just put aside my true beliefs in a moment of passion. I must evaluate who I am on a daily basis. I am not perfect, but I strive to be like Christ. In order to live a changed life, am I following through with what I know is right?

How do others see me? When others see you, do they see you continually fighting? Do you think you are just having a bad day, or is it really who you are because everyday seems to find you in the same mood? If we are living continually in chaos, maybe it really is not our surroundings, or someone else. Maybe it is us. For wherever we go, there we are. It is not about who I used to be. I cannot buy that lie. It is Who He is. It is about changing who I used to be, to who I am in Him. Being born again, being saved, is a moment in time. Becoming like Christ is a life long process.