2022-01-11
Romans 1:20 NLT
Do you ever have doubts about God, or wonder whether He exists at all? Even strong believers can have moments of doubt, and many of us will experience it too, if we haven’t already. We might feel ashamed of our areas of unbelief, or try to hide them from God, thinking that He’ll be angry with us. But when someone is honestly and sincerely questioning, He’ll patiently answer and soothe those doubts. We can see this in the story of the disciple Thomas, who doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. (You’ll find the story in John 20:19-29.) So when we’re doubting, what can we do? Here are some ideas:
1) Talk to God. The most important thing we can do is be honest about our doubts and tell God about them. This can be difficult if we’re struggling to believe He exists, but He’ll hear us and answer. Thomas didn’t actually express his doubts directly to Jesus, but Jesus still knew about them and showed up to help him at the right moment.
2) Look for signs of God’s work. ‘Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can see clearly his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature’ (Romans 1:20 NLT). The delicate balance and complexity of nature and the world we live in shouts of God’s power and hand at work.
3) Listen to what others have to say. Hearing or reading about someone else’s experiences of God at work in their lives can give us confidence that He’s real and that He loves us. We might not be in the same situation, but every story we hear of Him coming through for other people adds to the evidence for God and encourages us to trust in Him.
Gen 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 71:1-16; Pro 2:1-2
Romans 1:20 NLT
They say, “There are none so blind as those who will not see!” Richard Dawkins, the well-known atheist said, “It is absolutely safe to say that, if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane.” But the truth is, most great scientific minds from the past – brilliant men who founded and developed key disciplines of science – were creationists. For example: (1) Physics: Newton, Faraday, Maxwell, Kelvin. (2) Chemistry: Boyle, Dalton, Pascal, Ramsay. (3) Biology: Ray, Pasteur, Mendel, Linnaeus. (4) Geology: Steno, Woodward, Brewster, Agassiz. (5) Astronomy: Kepler, Galileo, Herschel, Maunder. Were these men “ignorant, stupid or insane”?
Sir Isaac Newton managed to discover the composition of light, deduce the laws of motion, invent calculus, compute the speed of sound, and define universal gravitation – while believing our universe “could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.” In a 2007 Newsweek magazine survey, 78 percent of those polled attributed creation to God, while only 13 percent believed in naturalistic evolution.
Don’t be intimidated by nonbelievers. Push back! The Bible says: “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities…So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (vv. 18-20 NLT). Yes, there is a God – and He wants you to know Him on a personal level.
Soul food: Gen 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 71:1-16; Pro 2:1-2
Romeine 1:20 NLV
‘n Ou gesegde lui: ‘Daar is geeneen so blind as die een wat nie wil sien nie!’ Richard Dawkins, die bekende ateïs, het gesê: ‘Dit is heeltemal veilig om te sê dat, indien jy iemand ontmoet wat nie in ewolusie glo nie, dat daardie persoon onkundig, dom of waansinnig is.’ Die waarheid is egter dat die grootste wetenskaplike denkers in die verlede – briljante mense wat sleuteldissiplines van die wetenskap gevestig en ontwikkel het – geglo het dat God die aarde geskep het. Byvoorbeeld: 1) Fisika: Newton, Faraday, Maxwell, Kelvin. 2) Chemie: Boyle, Dalton, Pascal, Ramsay. 3) Biologie: Ray, Pasteur, Mendel, Linnaeus. 4) Geologie: Steno, Woodward, Brewster, Agassiz. 5) Sterrekunde: Kepler, Galileo, Herschel, Maunder.
Was hierdie mense ‘onkundig, dom of waansinnig’? Sir Isaac Newton het daarin geslaag om die samestelling van lig te ontdek, die wette van beweging af te lei, calculus uit te vind, die spoed van klank te bereken en universele swaartekrag te definieer – terwyl hy geglo het dat ons heelal ‘slegs uit die raad en heerskappy van ‘n intelligente en kragtige Wese, kon voortkom.’ In ‘n 2007 Newsweek opname, het 78 persent van die deelnemers die skepping aan God toegeskryf, terwyl net 13 persent in ‘n naturalistiese ewolusie geglo het. Moenie deur ongelowiges geïntimideer word nie. Wees ferm!
Die Bybel sê: ‘In hulle harte het hulle immers ‘n duidelike besef van God, want God het dit aan hulle bekend gemaak. Want al is God onsigbaar, kan hulle sy ewige krag en sy Goddelikheid reeds van die skepping van die wêreld af duidelik uit sy handewerk waarneem. Daarom kan hulle hulleself hoegenaamd nie verontskuldig nie’ (verse 19-20 NLV). Ja, daar is ‘n God – en Hy wil hê dat jy Hom op ‘n persoonlike vlak leer ken.
Sielskos: Gen 24:1-25:18; Luk 2:8-20; Ps 71:1-16; Spr 2:1-2
2022-01-10
Hebreërs 3:4 NLV
Verbeel jouself dat ‘n menslike skedel wat met gate en openinge op presies die regte plekke ontwikkel het. ‘Dan,’ soos een outeur skryf, ‘het die brein wat aan twee oë, twee ore, een neus, vel, bloed, senuwees, mond, tande, tong, speekselkliere en smaakknoppies gekoppel is, per ongeluk ontstaan. Hierdie brein wat per ongeluk ontstaan het, is dan ook aan ‘n nek en ‘n liggaam met ‘n hart, lewer, niere en longe gekoppel, by mans sowel as vrouens, wat oor komplekse, aanvullende voortplantingstelsels beskik – en iets soortgelyks het dwarsdeur die hele diereryk plaasgevind.’
Ateïste beweer dat iets uit niks kan ontstaan en gegewe genoeg tyd, kan ingewikkelde stelsels toevallig deur willekeurige, onbegeleide ontwikkelings gebou word. Dit maak nie sin nie. Die Bybel sê: ‘Want elke huis het ‘n bouer, maar God is die meesterbouer van alles’ (vers 4 NLV). As die eerste man op die maan daar op ‘n Coca-Cola blikkie afgekom het, sou dit sin gemaak het om aan te neem dat die blikkie oor miljoene jare daar ontwikkel het? Of sou dit slegs aangedui het dat iemand anders voor hom op die maan was? Dink hoe eenvoudig die ontwerp van ‘n Coca-Cola blikkie teenoor jou ontwerp is.
‘Maar glo die intelligentste mense, soos groot wetenskaplikes, dan nie dat God nie die wêreld geskep het nie?’ vra jy. Nee! Albert Einstein, moontlik die wêreld se grootste wetenskaplike, het gesê: ‘Hoe dieper jy die natuur se geheime binnedring, hoe groter word jou respek vir God.’ Sir Isaac Newton het ook gesê: ‘Die mooiste stelsel van die son, planete en komete kon slegs uit die raad en heerskappy van ‘n intelligente en kragtige Wese, voortgekom het.’
Ja, daar is ‘n God en eendag sal jy voor Hom staan. Is jy gereed daarvoor? Indien nie, kan jy wees, deur vandag jou vertroue in God te plaas.
Sielskos: Gen 20-23; Luk 2:1-7; Ps 46; Spr 1:32-33
Hebrews 3:4 NKJV
Imagine a human skull evolving with holes and sockets in just the right places. “Then,” as one author writes, “by accident came the brain, interconnected to two eyes, two ears, one nose, skin, blood, nerves, mouth, teeth, tongue, salivary glands and taste buds, connected to a neck and a body with heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, in both male and female with complex, complementary reproductive systems – and that a similar thing happened throughout all the animal kingdom.”
Atheists claim something can bring itself into being from nothing, and given enough time, complex systems can be constructed by chance through random, unguided developments. It doesn’t make sense. The Bible says, “Every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God” (v. 4 NKJV). If the first man to walk on the moon had discovered a Coca-Cola can, would it be sensible to imagine it had evolved over millions of years? Or would he know it was devised and constructed, and therefore someone must have been there earlier? Think about how simplistic a Coca-Cola can is compared to your design.
“But don’t the most intelligent people, like great scientists, believe God didn’t create the world?” you ask. No! Albert Einstein, perhaps the world’s greatest scientist said, “The deeper one penetrates into nature’s secrets, the greater becomes one’s respect for God.” And Sir Isaac Newton said, “The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Yes, there is a God, and one day you will stand before Him. Are you ready for that event? If not, you can be, by putting your trust in Christ today.
Soul food: Gen 20-23; Luke 2:1-7; Ps 46; Pro 1:32-33
