Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Doubts”
Our Bible verse for today: “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Living without faith can be a miserable experience.”
The other day I began reading Os Guinness’ new book “Impossible People”. Surprisingly, the “Impossible People” he’s writing about are bold, courageous, faithful Christians. The point he makes is that we live in an increasingly secular world that is humanistic, fatalistic, and pessimistic. In such a cultural setting people who insist on clinging to, and living by, a strong faith in the God of the Bible are viewed by society as being “impossible people” – people who are needlessly difficult and uncooperative; people who refuse to do the logical thing (so they say) of just going along in order to get along. In the eyes of the culture such people are simply “impossible”.
To help illustrate the sense of despair and meaninglessness that more and more permeates our culture as a result of such widespread humanistic and fatalistic thinking, Os begins the book with numerous quotes from influential non-Christian thinkers. Here’s a gem from German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Fichte lived and wrote in the 1700s but his writings are still popular and influential among secular humanists in our day:
“Should I eat and drink, only in order to hunger and thirst again, and eat and drink, merely until the open grave under my feet swallows me up as a meal for the earth? Should I create more beings like myself, so that they can eat and drink and die, and so they can leave behind beings of their own, so that they do the same as I have already done? What is the point of this continual, self-contained and ever-returning circle, this repetitive game that always starts again in the same way, in which everything is, in order to fade away, and fades away in order to return again as it was – this monster continually devouring itself in order to reproduce itself, and reproduce itself in order to devour itself?”
Do you hear the utter sense of meaninglessness and despair regarding the purpose of life in Fichte’s lament? That sense of despair and meaninglessness is widespread in our world today. Sadly, sometimes even the people of God experience it. King Solomon himself went through many years of that kind of doubting and questioning and searching for answers. That’s what the book of Ecclesiastes is all about.
But go back to the beginning of this devotional message and read Solomon’s ultimate conclusion again. Eventually he found the answers to his doubts and questions and no surprise, the answers were found in God.
On Sunday August 14th at Oak Hill Baptist Church we’re going to begin a Sunday evening Bible study based upon the great book by Lee Strobal entitled “The Case for Faith.” It will be taught by Scott Lacy and you will find that it very effectively addresses some of the most difficult questions spiritual searchers, and committed Christians too, commonly wrestle with.
More about “The Case for Faith” tomorrow.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 