|
January 6, 2002
By Andrei Yashurin
Not so long ago, I singed a peace treaty with my doubts.
They do not oppose to my faith. They take their part in
strengthening my faith. Could I explain what I mean by that?
I accept doubts as tools that God occasionally uses to expand
my understanding of Him and the world I live in. I use doubts
the same way as scientists do. How scientists are working?
They develop a theory that explains certain natural laws,
but they never settle for that. They keep on asking questions
and expressing doubts in their theory. They challenge it.
They are trying to be objective in their experiments, and
if some of those experiments do not support their theory,
they develop another theory.
If all scientists would ever quit doubting and try to repress
their doubts, it would be a death of all scientific progress.
I believe that God uses our doubts concerning Him in order to
expand our understanding of Him.
For example, some children believe that God is a big guy with
a long white beard up there in the sky. Some adults believe
this way, too. I dont believe in that image of God (and someone
may call me an atheist, based on that). I agree with Jesus,
who said that God is Spirit. I believe that He is Omnipotent
and Omnipresent. For some persons it might be good a thing
to do to have doubts about God, to challenge their childish
image of Deity in order to develop more accurate image of Him.
For some persons it might be good to have doubts concerning
Gods relationships with people and Gods plan for humanity
just because their ideas are too limited.
Let us not be afraid of our doubts, but be afraid of our fear.
It looks like many Christians got used to repress their doubts,
because they are afraid that God would not love them and accept
them if they will ever express their disbelief in certain things.
From my point of view, God is not so narrow-minded. He knows
our inner struggles, and has compassion on them. He is Love,
and love is not harsh or judgmental.
Are we afraid to reject God completely and to become atheists?
Well, atheism is a form of religion. True doubter, doubts even
in his (her) doubts. In other words, he (she) is open for an
idea of God. And God will prove Himself for every open person.
The best proof that God is and that He is a rewarder of those
who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) is the proof of our
experience. I have no doubts about those two things anymore,
because I tested Him repeatedly. "Oh, taste and see that
the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8), encourages us the Scripture.
However, my concepts of God and character of my relationships
with Him has been in the process of development since the time
of my conversion. For me, it is a good thing, not a scary thing.
All living things grow. I am alive, and it means that I grow.
I grow, and it means that I am alive.
We would like to give you an opportunity to share your prayer request with us. If you have a particular need and would like us to join with you in prayers for it, please send us an e-mail to: admin@unityway.net We will include your requests in this list (without mentioning your name and an address), or just pray privately if you want so.
Unity, or Unity School of Christianity, is a positive philosophy of life, based on teachings of Jesus Christ. We invite you to visit our web site to find out more about it.
E-mail:
admin@unityway.net Please feel free to share this E-zine with your friends and loved ones. We grow best by word of mouth and appreciate your sharing this newsletter with others. Recent Articles: Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Fruitfulness | Possibility Thinking and Service | How to Become a Possibility Thinker | The Joy of Fulfillment
THANKS FOR READING!
"God is
more willing to give than you are to receive, and you demonstrate what you are
willing to receive by what you willingly give.".
All messages (c) 2001
by Andrei Yashurin
This E-zine is being sended through Felist.com list server only to those who subscribed to it, either
at Felist.com or at our site.
|
| http://felist.com/
E-mail: ask@felist.com | Unsubscribe |