Faith Vs Reason

How well do you know your high school chemistry? Do you recall Pascal's Law? It describes the effect of applying pressure on a liquid in a closed container. Changes in pressure in a confined liquid will be distributed equally throughout the fluid. For example, a thin bottle will break when a cork is pushed down far enough. This principle is used today in hydraulics for presses, elevators, jacks, vacuum pumps and air compressors.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), an amazing French philosopher, is known today for his work in math, chemistry and religion. His father tried to educate him in ancient languages. However, at age 12, Blaise had discovered geometry and at 16 wrote "The Geometry of Conics," which is now lost. He also invented the calculating machine and the theory of probability, used in card games.

In his mid-thirties, Pascal became interested in religion. He wrote:: "Within each one of us there is a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill." Later, he wrote another book, "An Apology for the Christian Religion." In it he maintained that perfect knowledge arrived through Christian revelation. Pascal believed that faith is a sounder guide than reason; he wrote: "Reason can go only so far, but faith in God has no limits." Thus, reason hits a wall but faith opens a window, allowing fresh air and sunshine to infiltrate.

Pascal understood that man has a dilemma. His conscious mind tells him he is impure against a perfect Creator and he tries to reason it out. Man has supine indifference, lust, pride, selfishness, an alcoholic problem, or not feeling self-fulfilled, self-actualized. He plays mindless games to understand and rationalize his dilemma but he finally realizes that his impurity cheats him out of being in harmony with God, creating a vacuum. Pascal admitted that this God-shaped vacuum was created within each of us that only He can fill. No wide amount of reasoning could eradicate it - only faith in God can supplant it.

Blaise Pascal's scientific mind has affected the world even to this day. Yet he pointed to Jesus Christ, who can fill our vacuum, our being, in order that we may have the final assurance that our lives may have order - not chaos, full and not empty, pressurized, not a vacuum. Yes, God understands our make-up, our chemistry and yearns to have a relationship with you.

A suggested prayer:
"God, I ask You to come into my life today, and fill this thin flask that I am. Give this outer and inner shell of mine strength, comfort and the assurance that I am in harmony with You. Forgive me for being impure against a perfect God. Take control of my life so that I can live for You. I realize that reasoning has it's limits but faith in God has no limits. I thank You for supplying an answer to my feeble attempts in understanding myself. Amen!"

Walter

Sunday Reflections...

Abraham's Life of Faith
"He went out not knowing where he was going." Hebrews 11:8

In the Old Testament, a person's relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person's life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus was referring to in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not have hate (i.e., by comparison of his love for Christ) his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."

This is an inherently Christian doctrine to forsake the world and follow Jesus – Paul, Peter and the other Apostles knew it and lived it, John Bunyan practiced it, and I identify with and have complete comfort, joy and thanksgiving in it. Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. And it means loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reasoning - a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.

The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. I feel the presence of God around me when I pray, yet others are only momentarily changed. We have this overwhelming tendency to keep going back to our everyday lives and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, something which comes much farther down the road. It is faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test: Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life we all strive to lead - the life of faith - a faith, tested and true, built on the one true God. "Abraham believed God...." Romans 4:3.

Walter

Christian Growth

When God called me to be a Christian, I become a Christian by grace, as a free gift. Christian development begins once I accepted the gift of salvation and the new relationship that Christ offers. Maybe you were a Christian as a child, but drifted away and now you’re back to take another look as an adult and recommit yourself to Christ and the Christian way. So, now you embark on the Christian path.

Is the Christian life hard? No, it’s not hard - it’s impossible! Most of what you’re asked to do isn’t natural - not to human beings as we are now. But you’re not alone in this. Jesus puts His Spirit within you and makes it possible for you to live His kind of life.

You can’t do it all immediately, but you will learn. Be mindful of the fact that salvation happens in an instant, the transformation can take a lifetime. Begin where you are. Make honest attempts day by day, living out the meaning of your baptism. And as you make healing, Godward choices, you will be transformed.

I like the old prayer used in the musical Godspell:

Day by day,

O dear Lord,

Three things I pray:

To see things more clearly;

To love Thee more dearly;

To follow Thee more nearly,

Day by day.

To energize this day-by-day transformation in you, God gives gifts.

The Gift of the Word

When the book-of-the-month club asked its members recently (and in times past) to name the book that most influenced their lives, the Bible was the book that topped the list. For Christians, the Bible is more than a good book; it is the Word of God. Through hearing it, studying it, learning it by heart, and meditating on it, we grow as Christians. The Bible is not just for our information, but our formation.

1. Choose your Bible.

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek. It has been translated into English many times, so there are many translations of Bible to choose from. Talk to your pastor or local Christian bookstore owner for advice on choosing the Bible for your needs. As far as literal translation goes, I have developed a scale that may help you choose on the basis of the closest translation aside from learning Greek or Hebrew.

Word For Word - precise word order sentence structure

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

New King James Version

New Revised Standard - (Mid scale translation: Word For Word and Thought For Thought)

New Living Translation

Contemporary English Version

The Living Bible

Thought For Thought - closest equivalent in meaning and style

2. Read the Bible.

Reading the Bible feeds our souls and shapes our thoughts and actions. Daily reading produces tremendous results.

3. Study the Bible.

While you can gain much from simply reading the Bible, you will find more treasure if you study it: you can do this alone using study guides and reference tools, but you may find even more value in studying with a group.

Some people also find that memorizing key passages of the Bible helps them make these words their own. Mark the passages that especially speak to you or a situation, and commit them to memory. Then they are available to you to meditate on and to working in your heart. This practice has been done with the Scriptures for well over 2,000 years.

4. Apply the Bible.

Bible study or reading the Bible is not just and intellectual exercise to fill our heads with more knowledge. Its deepest value is a part of an ongoing, active relationship with God through His Word.

The Gift of Prayer

Prayer is an expression of faith. People pray while sitting, kneeling, standing, walking, driving or working. Nearly 50% of the world’s population prays daily. Prayer puts us in touch and keeps us in touch with God. Prayer is God’s way of communicating with us about what He is eager, ready and willing to do for us in our lives and what we can do to serve Him. God does answer every prayer: sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait. Remember that prayer is primarily a way we develop a relation with God and Jesus Christ.

The Gift of Faith Sharing

Receive the gift of faith and keep on growing in faith by finding and being with people who have it. We grow as Christians by being with other Christians. And that means being a part of a church. Whether you’re in a church or not, being with people of faith is the important thing.

The Gift of Witnessing

We grow as we pray together, worship together, share the Lord’s Supper, even walk in the Spirit together. A lot happens when we share our faith stories - when I tell you my experience with God and you tell me yours, I can learn from your victories and your failures and you from mine. This is usually meant by the practice of (and the term) witnessing. You witness what you experience.

The Witnessing Top Ten

1. Be Transparent.

Transparency gives credibility to Christianity. Let others see your hurts, fears, questions, doubts, as well as your happiness, delights and dreams. Anything that seems like confusing, insincere hype is quickly rejected. Claiming to be perfect, super-spiritual, or being better than others diminishes the message as well as the messenger. Heart stuff is good stuff. Let others see you as you really are - warts and all.

2. Be Honest.

It is important to be honest about your challenges, disappointments, and struggles as a Christian - just as it is essential to be honest about supernatural experiences, victories and amazing discoveries.

3. Be Brief.

You might be tempted to share everything you know with people. It is better to be brief. And remember that actions, though brief, can be better than words. Words can often be confusing, but actions are always clear.

4. Be Sensitive.

Being sensitive is sensible. Many people are afraid of Christians and churches. They may have had a bad experience in the past and need tender compassion more than religious talk. Others may need food, clothes, medicine or housing before they are ready to listen or talk. A balance between sensitive observation and sensitive talking is the key.

5. Be a Good Listener.

It is in understanding that we can be understood. To understand, it is essential to listen more than we talk. We need to listen with our hearts as well as our ears. The right to be heard is won by being a good listener.

6. Be gracious.

Grace - unqualified acceptance - is more powerful than criticism or judgement because this is what God showed us and what we to show one another. My mother and grandmother taught me that flies are caught with honey rather than vinegar. Being gracious is the most appropriate expression of God’s accepting, healing and transforming power.

7. Be Kind.

Harshness is offensive. Acts of kindness and gentleness make Christianity more irresistible. Christian bullies build barriers, not bridges, to faith. When you are kind, you let people know they are respected and valued. Our words and deeds can either heal or pierce the human heart. The greatest witness is a kind witness.

8. Be Informed.

This means leaning more about the Christian faith through group study, worship and reading. Also getting to know Christ personally and intimately through prayer is essential to effective witnessing. Talking about a stranger is very different from talking about a friend. It is more convincing to share from personal experience than from second-hand information.

9. Be Creative.

The creative witness is a motivating witness. Old religious clichés and tired metaphors are more easily dismissed than new and fresh ways of speaking. Tailoring our witness experience to the uniqueness of each individual produces tremendous results. Courageous creative conversation makes Christianity seem more inviting and exciting - and it is!

10. Be Positive.

Christianity is about ‘Good News” - the meaning of the Gospel or “Good Spell.” It is news of hope, peace and joy - and the love of God that never ends.

Guided by these 10 principals you can share your faith confidently with fellow seekers - inside or outside of the church. Then leave the results up to God. You are not responsible for your friend’s reaction or response. You are not even responsible for your own growth. God will provide the growth - both to you and your neighbor.

Walter

Thoughts on My Faith

When you become a Christian, God’s own Spirit lives within you, and heaven becomes a part of your life here and now. All of this begins with a radiant relationship with Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of Heaven isn’t simply a destination, it’s a continuous journey with God. And life is not to be divided into a life today on earth and life tomorrow in heaven. We are already citizens of eternity.

I have felt God’s presence in this world. I have seen God’s hand at work in my own life, bringing people and circumstances together in a way I never could have engineered or imagined. When I see God’s power at work, I know that heaven is here right now - an intrinsic part of the world God created. Knowing Jesus opens my spirit and my understanding to see and participate in heaven in my daily life; knowing Jesus makes the ordinary extraordinary.

Having a heavenly perspective now is like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Rafting the Colorado River in the steep inner gorge of the canyon, you often can’t see what’s around the next bend, much less where the river is going. But from a vantage point above on the rim, you can see glimpses of the river’s course. Flying over the canyon at 30,000 feet, you can easily follow the river as it flows from north to south.

When we’re on the river of daily life, with the rush of rapids ahead and the walls of circumstances closing in on us, it’s hard to see where the river is taking us. But having a heavenly perspective now, like standing on the rim, lifts me up to see something of God’s direction and purpose in my life (revealing His truths and His will). This gives me courage, faith and the power to steer my thoughts and actions toward Him. I can actually run the river effectively, wisely and joyfully now, knowing that one day I’ll fly above and see the whole course of my life with new understanding.

Walter