Question:
A pertinent question for Easter came to me from my daughter, Charis. She received an email that told this tale and wondered what I thought of it. I’ve summarized it here (and corrected some of the grammar):
When Peter arrived at the grave of Jesus the Bible says the napkin that covered Jesus’ face was neatly folded up. To understand the significance of that you have to understand a little about Hebrew tradition.
When I was in the Navy I remember a young lieutenant asking me this “profound” puzzler. “Can God do anything? Can He make a rock so big he cannot lift it?”
This is a rather common question asked by pseudo-intellectuals who think they have stumbled across a great chink in the Christian’s belief about the omnipotence of God. The answer to the question is quite simply, “No, there are many things God cannot do.”
… everyone paints devotion (to God) according to his own passions and preferences.
– Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
I just finished reading some of this fellow’s writings. I’ll paraphrase an insight I found interesting.
Some people love to pray so in their eyes Christians who pray little are little Christians. Some love to serve God with their hands and may condemn those who pray for the hungry instead of bringing them bread. Some have a heart to give and are generous with their goods but miserly with kindness or forgiveness. We tend to put greater spiritual value on those Christian disciplines we find most fulfilling. While all these activities are good none are the true measure of our spiritual depth.
Like nature has season – fruitful times and dormant times – our growth with the Lord will also go through dry times and high times. But if you have been in a desert too long, try some of these ideas I found recently on a post by a pastor I’ve started listening to – Steve Furtick.
Don’t confuse God with Life.This quote comes from one of the greatest books I have ever read. Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey is a hard hitting, no nonsense approach to dealing with times that God “let’s us down”. I suggest you get a copy for yourself AND a friend.
This quote explains in 5 words why many Christians stumble and falter when difficulties come. I lose my job. My child gets sick. I get sick. A loved one dies. Random tragedy shatters my life and dreams. Why God? Why! Why! Why!