Do you ever wonder, … WHY?
If there is a God, … WHY is the world so stinkin’ screwed up?
Oh, ... and folks, in case you haven’t noticed … the world, UH, IS SERIOUSLY screwed up!
I am not saying there are no good things at all in the world, at least from a human vantage point. I am just saying … think about world hunger, corruption, murder, evil, mass slaughter of the innocent people and unborn children, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, war, racism, no political leadership, abuse of children … you could go on and on and on, but I won’t. I think you get the point!
OK, here is a picture I can't forget that sums up the world situation accurately. Do you remember that video camera in the Gulf of Mexico that was constantly showing us the flow of death by oil into the water from the severed BP pipeline? And how about all these mass shootings? Psycho! The world seems to be going mad! It's messed up! That describes the world in a nutshell! Messed UP!
Let me first say that I DO believe there is an all-powerful, loving, just, creator God. BUT it isn't all that difficult to see why most reject belief in that kind of God. To many, that view does not seem to add up.
Like, … If there is a God that is all-powerful and loving … why isn’t He stopping all this craziness? Why isn’t God bringing justice to these problems? Why are sickos torturing children? Why do so many truly horrible things happen to people? Why isn’t God doing something about this mess?
Some will argue, … Maybe there is NO God at all. Or, Maybe God isn’t all that loving. Or even, Maybe God isn’t powerful enough to stop these problems.
How did all this mess start if there really is an all-powerful, loving, just, creator God?
The Bible teaches us that God wants something from you. Imagine that! God wants something from me, you and every person that ever lived.
In fact, I think God wants many things from us. But, today, I want you to consider that there is a God who desperately wants something from you. And I want you to consider that He was willing to take all these temporary awful results of man’s sin to get what He wanted from you.
I believe that God created man with the ability to really love Him.
I mean, … God made man in a way that gave him the ability to choose to love God, or not. In order for God to do this, He had to create man with the full ability to choose NOT TO LOVE Him.
God wants you to love Him genuinely … not in some robotic kind of love. So, God made you and gave you the ability to really, really, really, love Him by choice … And He made you with the ability to flat out deny that He exists, deny that He is good, or deny that you need Him at all. He made you with the ability to stick your head in the sand and try to ignore Him for your whole life … And He made you with the ability to really love, praise, worship, and talk to Him as you struggle through the ups and downs of life.
God wants your love SO much … that He’s letting you choose!
The Bible teaches that all of our current troubles and evil on earth are the result of millions and millions of sins and wrong decisions that have been made by man. This includes the millions of sins and wrong decisions before you and I were born … and the millions of our very own sins and wrong decisions in our short lifetime.
God wants us to choose to love, praise, worship and have a real relationship with Him.
The Bible teaches that we are sinners and that God must punish sin because He is a God of justice.
BUT, the Bible also teaches that God is full of mercy and grace. So, God provided one way of escape from His wrath.
God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for the payment of our sins. If we accept His payment, it covers ALL of our sin. If we reject God’s provision of payment … His wrath and eventual justice remains upon us.
God provides a way through His Son Jesus for us to be completely reconciled to Him. God provides a way for us to be forgiven through His Son Jesus. God offers us a way to escape the wrath of our sin through His Son Jesus.
In John 14:6, Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
In Acts 4:12, it reads, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Rejecting Jesus remains a choice that we can make. God made you so that you could choose to reject His only offering of payment for your sins. BUT, God wants you to choose His Son Jesus without delay. God wants you to choose to love Him. God wants your love badly enough to really make it your choice. He wants your love badly enough that while you were still a sinner He offered up His Son, Jesus to a humiliating death on the cross to pay for your sins … if you will just accept it.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God is a God of choice! He wants you to choose His Son as payment for your sins.
One day the mess of what we have done on earth will be made right. There will be no more of these horrible things that happen to all of us. Evil on earth will end someday. Jesus will set the record straight! Wrong doing will not prosper forever. God is being patient with us now.
He wants your love so bad … He is allowing you to choose.
God provided a way through His son Jesus Christ to receive the free gift of eternal life. Choose Him, my friend.
All the best, NikonSniper Steve
32 comments:
Amen Mr. Steve! The Lord is so really good! True love requires a choice. Thanks for your encouraging posts. :)
Best advice you could ever give!
You have posted the very words that we as God's children need to share with all the world. May a seed (or seeds) that you have sown through these words touch fertile ground and grow. You have planted...and I pray that others (myself included) will water and nuture.
Thank you, Steve.
Love,
Jackie
Hi there... Much like you, I think he's waiting for Mankind to step forward...once upon a time, we were a "do Something' species... and over time, we've become complacent and wait for someone else to feed us... give us health care... fix the problems... etc. I think its time to hitch up the boot straps and get back down to business...
Great post! ~shoes~
What a beautiful way to start my weekend. I only recently smartened up and figured I needed to check out these followers of my blog. I have become a follower for your beautiful photography but now I am seeing that you are a deep and intelligent being as well. Where we are all given cause for doubt, many of us do choose to believe in our more powerful creator. What we cannot understand is why so many give themselves over to the evil power that invades our very hearts. So, so many hearts become blackened by this evil force. It is the very weakest who give in and unfortunately, it seems at times that they outnumber us. Those of us strong in our faith in our Creator must stay strong for all those on the 'fence'. Bless you for this post. I know now I will have a wonderful weekend as my faith in humanity has been restored. Thank you!
NikonSniper Steve, you believe God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are true because the Bible says so. Hmmmmmm. Who says the Bible is true? So far no one has proved anything truly wrong in it and science today as it discovers new things and disproves old theories is proving the Bible very true. It's man's lack of knowledge, which he is forever and constantly seeking, that makes man question the Bible. Therefore this equation proves true:
Bible true = God/Jesus/Holy Spirit true.
The choice is simple and ours to make.
linda,
thank you for your kind words ... but the jury is still out on the "deep and intelligent being" remark!
nikonsniper steve
Thanks Steve, you hit the nail on the head!
I think that it´s a choice, the bible is not the true, the truth it´s the reality, we have to believe in something to give some sense to the live.
Thank you Steve for these excellent points on evil in the world and free will. I haven't personally struggled with this issue, but I can see where some people would. I read a book called "The Case for Faith" and there was a part in there that asked how evil can exist in the world if there truly is an all-powerful, benevolent, loving God. I don't remember what was said because I read it a few years ago. But it is an interesting question. You've done a great job at explaining how sin is ultimately responsible.
The fact of the matter is that we're all deserving of God's wrath. I think people need to understand that we have violated God's laws. Romans 3:10-11 says, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.'" And Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Like you said, though, God is giving us a choice. Many of us today are rejecting Jesus and relying on our own power, cunning, intelligence, and know-how as the way to solve the world's problems. We are our own God. The bottom line is is if we truly are asking for God Almighty to intervene, TO BE OUR GOD, we have to take the initiative and ask Him.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place."
Beautiful and well said! Amen
Amen and God bless you for following your conviction to share the word of salvation with the world. May many hearts welcome the message and truly hear.
Nothing is more precious and true than love that is freely given. That is why we were all created with free will - the will to chose our master: money, power, fame...or God. He made us, he could have MADE us love him...but that's not true love.
I am a confirmed atheist, I respect your views.
Two thumbs up!
Stephen, thank you so much for such a clear explanation, I am a Christian but at times I have questions. One of those times was when I lost my son, and there were days that it really was a test. But I still keep that faith, and hope to see my son again..
Amen!
I've been a follower for a long time but haven't visited like a good follower should. I'm so glad I decided to visit today and found this post. Very uplifting...and very true!
May God bless you Steve for sharing this on your page
Great that you posted this, Steve.
It's something everyone should read because it is ALL true.
May I post a link to this on my blog?
I think I know just the place.
Oh and have you though anymore about the Sunday Roast? You can do it in pictures if you like? No need to stick entirely to the format.
Best wishes my friend and God Bless.
Eddie
Eddie!
Hey ... Of course you can link to this or anything on this blog at anytime. I am really scrambling for time these days. I need to look at that again. Perhaps, I could find some time in the next month. Could you send me that info again so I can store to remind me?
All the best! NikonSniper Steve
Stephen, your words are heartfelt. Though I do not share you belief in a Christian god, I thank mankind for organizing a country where church and state are separate, where we are all free to worship - or not.
I just have never been able to get past the Christian belief that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that everyone with other beliefs are just fooling themselves. Can millions around the world be so wrong?
So, I commend you for your devotion which brings you peace and provides a structure for living your life. I leave you with a Buddhist prayer:
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.
Choice is powerful. I agree with what you wrote. I learned from an early age that people will make choices that hurt those around them. I also learned that there is nothing that happened to me that Christ didn't suffer more. He allowed Himself to be abused and mistreated and the people that abused and mistreated Him were the people He was crucified for them as well as by them. I can never say that Christ doesn't understand. He does. I am working on healing and through Christ I know I will be made whole in the end.
My God richly bless you!
Amen, Mr Steve!As I said almost a year ago - you're the camera in the hand of God! This pretty much seals that notion! May He point you where He needs you to shoot - for His Glory!
As always, you are in my prayers - take care of your family - I can see how proud you are of Tara!
Blessings,
Patrina <")>><
Beautiful True Words... God Bless You.
Amen Steve. Great words and all true. I hope people realize that truth stands on it's own irregardless of what we believe. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life!
Wow...God led me to your blog tonight for so many different reasons and, when I saw the "God wants something from YOU" link, I knew I had to click on it...You are admirable for blogging such an impassioned, faith-filled post and I applaud you for it!
As a fellow Christian, I'd like to share your post/link on my own blog - would that be ok?
Keep on singing God's praises and photographing His beautiful world He gave to us - I know I will ;) God bless...Dava
treasuresfromheaven,
by all means ... use these and any words found within this blog for His glory!
cool you are starting in photography classes. i learn every time i attend.
may God bless you and all you do for the extension of His kingdom.
nikonsniper steve
God is not responsible for the mess the world is in...we are!!
Given, the world and all of us are in a fallen condition, but we have the spiritual power and the method for making this planet truly peaceful...this is not an idle dream, there are many who testify that the golden age of mankind is coming...whether we shall see it in our lifetimes or not is not up to us to foresee. There are many prophecies from many sources for this...but the point is, we can change our selves without reference to the external world, although if we change and perfect our own very human, spiritual nature, there is no doubt the world also will change. These times are very dark but new light is on the horizon, our future is not the petrified past but the days of this nightmare called the modern age are numbered and I gladly look forward to the coming age of renewal and the promises of the great Avatars of the past will be fulfilled...
As far as Jesus is concerned, to my mind he should be called "Jesus the Christ." After all, 'Christ' is not his surname; 'Christ' means the 'Anoited One.' Jesus realized the Christ-Love within himself and it was only after he did so that he began his public ministry...we all must realize that Christ-Love within us, after all, Jesus did say, "The Kingdom of God is within." We must all replicate the crucifiction of our ego as Jesus did. Not that we must hang on the cross but we must, "Pick up your cross and follow Me." The old man must die and the new man reborn ("You must become as little children.")
I was just getting ready to leave your blog page and go to bed. Something told me to click on it. It looks like something I've thought about often and I'm printing it out now to read in bed. I'm sure it's going to be a blessing.
Thanks for sharing Gods word and comforting me with it.
Goodnight...Tracy :)
I know this is an old post but my goodness, I have not ever seen those questions answered this way. I struggle when someone ask me if and why there is a God why is this world like it is. I know how to answer and then direct them to your blog.
Goodness, your photography is outstanding. I am just now taking my 5 year old camera off AUTO and playing around with the settings.
Love your blog and I will be back to just enjoy your work.
God's Blessings to you and yours.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Nice to hear from you. Love your post. You asked really tough but good questions and offered up our only hope, Jesus. I found it interesting that a confirmed atheist chimed in. May God save his soul as well.
Please come visit my newly designed photography blog. Let me know what you think!
Blessings,
Judy
Steve, Just thumbing through your posts, and this one really was excellent. Love how you are able to take difficult spiritual, philosophical concepts and make it easy for us all to relate to and comprehend. Your love for Jesus is magnetizing!!!
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