You are probably familiar with the story of Jesus walking on water.  It's one of those stories that many people think of as a metaphor.  The term "Walking on water," is used as shorthand for someone who is pretty close to perfect.  

But if you read the account in the fourteenth chapter of Mark, it goes a bit deeper than that (no pun intended).   Jesus' disciples had taken a boat across the sea of Galilee.  Incredibly, they see someone walking across the sea.  Peter was apparently unsure that this was in fact Jesus. He was clearly afraid.  He said that if it is really Jesus, then he should tell him to step out of the boat and come to him.  [1]  Jesus told him to come.[2]  Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water.[3]  

Peter had good reason to fear.  At its deepest depth, the Sea of Galilee is about 150 feet.  Imagiine yourself in this situation.  The feeling beneath your feet is almost surreal, not exactly like standing on  solid ground but more of a mushy feeling, sort of like foam rubber.  This  feeling is nothing like you have ever felt before. Maybe, you think, I am  dreaming.

Thanks to your impulsive exuberance, you find yourself standing in the middle of  the Sea of Galilee during a violent storm. You are buffeted by waves and soaked to the skin.  Perhaps a lightning bolt  flashes, followed by the loud rumble of thunder.  Suddenly, the weird  feeling of firmament beneath your feet gives way.  

Water is  up to your knees and you are sinking  quickly.The boat is now far behind  you.  There is no way that you can reach it to save yourself.   What have I  done, you think,  I am going to drown.  What a stupid way for it to  end.    

At that moment, Peter’s faith enabled him to overcome his fear.  And for a moment, Peter walked on the water![4]  However, the howling winds and enormity of his situation got the best of Peter.[5]  He again was terrified and cried out to Jesus to save him.[6]

And frequently, this is exactly  how many Christians respond to fear and worry.  Initially, we trust the Lord with the issue.  We give the problem to  Him.  However, when the problem is  not solved according to our schedule or plan, we begin to doubt.   We allow Satan to whisper his lies to us.   Perhaps the Lord didn’t hear my prayer.  Or, perhaps He thought my prayer was  self-interested and unimportant. 
Or perhaps the Lord’s will is for me to suffer. 

We are so close to this threatening forest that we cannot see the
trees.

 Anytime we are faced with a fear that threatens to compromise our  faith,  we should declare that:  “I will  not sink.”  We should think of Peter,  exuberant and faithful, stepping out of the boat towards Jesus.   Had he continued to his destination in faith, unwavering and  unintimidated, there is no doubt that he would not have begun to sink.  We need to develop an intellectual  alarm that sounds whenever we begin to feel afraid.  As soon as it happens, we remind ourselves that through faith anything is  possible, including resolution of the threat at hand.  
 
Once you give a fear or worry to the Lord, don’t take it back.   He has heard your prayer.   He will deal with the issue, often in ways that we could never have
imagined.  Don’t allow Satan to  fool you into believing that the issue is not important enough for God, or that  God expects you to do something else.   Continue to pray and listen for God’s response.   Above all else, let it go and quit worrying about it.

I will not sink.
 
 
[1] Matthew 14.


 
[2]Id..



[3]Id.



[4]Id.



[5]Id.



[6]Id.

I was walking to the office water cooler recently and ran into one of my company's senior executives.  We smiled at each other.  We exchanged the expected formalities, "Hey, how are you?" and "Great, how about you?" and so on.   But as we were leaving, I caught, or thought I caught, a strange look from him. 

I quickly went through a mental checklist- did I owe him something?  Or had I done anything that could have offended him.  I didn't think so, but then again, I had seen "the look".  What had I done?  What is he saying about me behind my back?

I hate "the look".  It drives me crazy.  Some people are oblivious to it.  But us sensitive types perceive it and proceed to dwell on it all day.  We ask ourselves whether we have somehow offended the person giving "the look".  We can drive ourselves crazy.  On the other hand, oblivious types never even discern "the look."  They cruise through life, perhaps offending people and perhaps not.  But in either case, they are completely unaware.

Psychologists tell us that there are two basic types of people- those who are motivated primarily by external stimuli, and those who are motivated by stimuli from within.  The first type carried to an extreme is  the "people pleasers"; those unfortunate folks who invest countless energy trying to please everyone.  The second type in its extreme form is the sociopath; the "I'm right and everyone else is wrong" person.  And of course, there is an entire range of people falling between these two extremes.

Psychologists generally don't discuss the possibility of a third type.  These people don't always do what they think others want them to do.  And they aren't solely concerned with self-interest either.   These people do what they believe God wants them to do. 

You might wonder how someone can know what God wants them to do.  Actually, it's pretty simple.  As with any analysis, you have to start with some assumptions.  In this case, you start with the assumption there is a God.  And you assume that He is accurately depicted in the Bible; futher, that the Bible is actually His inspired Word.  Once you make these assumptions, knowing God's will becomes fairly simple. 

The Bible teaches us with a great deal of precision what He wants us to do.  You have to read it, digest it and understand it, of course.  But that's no different than mastering any subject.  If you want to understand the law, you have to read the statute, or perhaps a judge's opinion.  If you want to understand your finances, you have to plow through bank statements, retirement plans and the like.

There's one other point.  The Bible also teaches us that God will reveal His will to us through His Holy Spirit.  The Old Testament prophets talked about it.  Jesus talked about it.  The apostles talked about it.  And the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit occupies the hearts and minds of Christians.  We may have a hard time hearing Him, with all of the static and interference of our daily lives.  But, like a faithful Friend, He's always there, just waiting for us to commune with Him.

So, I can worry what people are saying about me behind my back. And I can do everything possible not to offend anyone.  Or, I can have the attitude that I will be true to my own principles, and not worry about what anyone thinks about me.  But there's a third alternative.  I can  allow God to guide me, through His Word, and through His Holy Spirit.  I can have faith in His Son.  And I can do everything possible to please Him.  And rest in the confidence that He has already provided restitution for my bad acts, about two thousand years before I was born.

And the next time I get "the look", who knows?  Maybe his contacts are bothering him.

You may already be familiar with the story about the rich young man as described by Matthew in the nineteenth chapter of his gospel account.   A rich young man approached Jesus and asked Him what he must do to live forever.  This story’s presentation is a bit misleading because it occurs so matter-of-factly, without a great deal of fanfare.  But the issue presented-  mortality versus immortality- is undoubtedly the most important issue any human can face.  

What, if anything, happens after we die?  Do we simply die and that’s the end of it?  Or is there something else that happens after death?  It’s so easy to get so caught up in our daily lives that we tend to forget about it.  Or perhaps we simply avoid it.  If you think about it for any length of time, it’s bound to make you uncomfortable.   If your conclusion is that this life is it and that there is nothing after, it gets pretty depressing.  But if you believe that there is something after death, and that you can affect the outcome by your actions while here on Earth, then the stakes escalate.  For example, if you believe in a Heaven, then you will likely want to do whatever is necessary to get there.   On the other hand, if you believe in Hell, you will probably want to do whatever is necessary to avoid it.

I know there are all kinds of potential variations on this theme.  Some people believe in Heaven, but don’t believe in Hell.  But even among the people who believe in Heaven, there are differences as to exactly what Heaven is like- everything from pearly gates, to gold-paved streets; variations on the theme, if you will.  Some people believe in reincarnation-  you keep coming back to Earth after you die, in a form that is roughly related to your performance in the previous life. 

In the young man’s case, he believed that there was at least the possibility that there was life after death.   A lot of people followed Jesus because they thought he was a wise teacher.  Perhaps the rich young man admired and respected Jesus.  Presumably, the young man was well-educated.  Perhaps he enjoyed lofty spiritual debate.  It’s hard to tell from the dialogue.  But he thought enough of Jesus to ask Him what it would take to live forever.

Jesus’s response was simple.  He told the young man that he should obey God’s commands.  Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?  Do what God wants you to do and you will live forever.  Of course, the execution of it becomes infinitely more difficult. 

This is why the rich young man asked the next question.  He asked, “Which commands?”  He intuitively knew that there was no way that he could obey every single command.  It isn’t humanly possible.  In a way, he was challenging Jesus’ advice.  He was, in effect, saying “Come on Jesus, you and I both know that it isn’t possible.  Get real.  Tell me which commands are really important.”

But here’s the thing.  Jesus knew it was possible to live a completely sinless life; He was living proof of it.  Nonetheless, He went with the question.  He said that if the young man just obeyed what were in essence the Ten Commandments, he would live forever.   

But the rich young man was pretty fired up at this point.  He was, after all, intelligent and rich. That should amount for something, shouldn’t it?  He quickly responded “I’ve always obeyed these commandments.”  I imagine he thought the discussion was over at that point.  He had gotten Jesus to agree that he was going to Heaven.  He had lived a good life.  He had passed the test. 

But, like most of us who feel pretty good about our lives, the rich young man couldn’t stop there.  He decided to go for an A plus.  He asked Jesus “What else do I need to do?”  Something tells me that Jesus knew, before the conversation even started, that the young man would eventually get to this point.

And then Jesus got to the point.  He told the rich young man that if he wanted to get to Heaven, he would need to give up everything and follow Him.

I remember as a kid, seeing funny picture book of monkeys.  The monkeys were dressed up as people, and put into people situations.  Three monkeys were playing cards, smoking cigars and drinking scotch.  On another page, a “husband” monkey and a “wife” monkey were having a spat.  And there was a picture of a monkey “family” picnic- a “mom” monkey and a “dad” monkey, with “brother” monkey and “sister” monkey eating sandwiches and drinking lemonade.  The book was funny because the monkeys had been dressed up and put into human situations.

But here’s the thing.  As cute as the pictures were, the monkeys were still monkeys.  Off camera, they probably messed up the props and sets.  They fought.  Their handlers were careful, and didn’t for one minute get fooled into thinking that the monkeys wouldn’t bite them if agitated.  A monkey, no matter how you dress it up, is a monkey.  The same applies to humans. 

Deep down inside, if we really think about it, we understand that we can never earn our way into Heaven.  No matter how hard we want to, or how hard we try, we are going to fail.  It’s just not humanly possible for an imperfect human to earn his way into a perfect place.   In my own case, I can assure you that my thoughts and actions typically diverge from God’s will within five minutes of awakening each day.  The cares and worries of this world quickly take over.  Before I know it, and despite my best intentions, I take a path that is different from the one God wants me to take.  Certainly, I do my best to correct my path to conform to His will.  But no matter how hard I try, I simply don’t measure up.  I’m simply human.  I can dress myself up, I can go to church, I can give money to charity and all of the rest of it.  But at my core, I’m a human being and all that comes with it.

The rich young man’s question presumed that with enough effort, he could earn his way into heaven.  I understand the presumption.   After all, the young man was rich.  Rich people tend to believe that they earned their riches.  So it makes sense that he would believe he could earn his way into Heaven.

But the truth is, it all comes from God.  God created the universe.  He created mankind.  He created you and me.  And everything that we have, one way or the other, can be attributed to God.  Our health, our intelligence, our gifts; all come from God.  How can we earn our way into God’s graces by giving Him back something that He gave us to begin with?  It’s sort of like the child buying Dad a birthday present with money Dad gave her.  It’s sweet and thoughtful and all that, but from an economic perspective, it was a net zero transaction to the Dad.

And that was Jesus’ point.  And it was also the point made throughout the Old Testament, in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.  It’s simple.  The just shall live by faith.  Beginning with Abraham, the father of our faith (you can read about him in Genesis), God has sought one thing from humankind- faith in Him.  We “earn” our way to Heaven by believing in Him.  This is what it means to be saved by grace, through faith.  God gave us a free gift in the form of Jesus as savior, and we accept the gift through faith.  It’s so simple that many people have a hard time accepting it.  Like the rich young man, they prefer to keep a running tally of their lives.  They mistakenly believe that their good works will somehow created indebtedness by God toward them.  But again, it’s impossible for God to be indebted to any human because He gave us everything that we have.  As a result, from the day we are born, we have a deficit balance in our eternal bank account.  And, like the national debt, it only gets bigger over time.

And that’s why the rich young man left, saddened.  I’ve heard some people explain that he was sad because Jesus told him to give up his riches.  He had put his money before God.  But I think it runs deeper than that.   Jesus also said, “Follow me.”  And that was the real bottom line.  If we want to get to Heaven, we have to follow Him. 

But there’s good news.  To follow Jesus, we must first have faith in Him.  We accept through faith His free gift of eternal salvation.  And once we accept this gift, He steps in.  He gives us His Holy Spirit.  He comes to live within us.   And this makes it infinitely easier to follow Him.  Faith begets more faith.  We make the decision for Him and we begin to see its result manifest in our lives.  We are changed.  We become more like Him.  And the change reinforces our faith.  We stop living in our own effort and we rely on Him.   We study His words and we learn more about Him, which in turns results in more and more of this remarkable transformation that so many people have undergone.

Are there bumps and bruises along the way?  Certainly.  We will always have the free will to make decisions.  And sometimes we make the wrong decisions.  And wrong decisions have consequences.  But He is always there for us.  His sacrifice means that He does not see our sin.  Instead, He sees us as sinless.  And He loves us no matter what.

So, the rich young man either could not or would not follow Jesus.  And when the debate was over, he walked away sadly and left Jesus standing there.  But it didn’t have to end that way.  The rich young man could have embraced Jesus.  He could have stayed with Jesus.  Or he could have received Jesus’ teaching and left in jubilance, laughing and dancing. 

And the same holds true for each of us.  There is a popular Christian saying, “Know Jesus, know peace.  No Jesus, no peace.”  And this brings me to why I believe what I believe.  Jesus said that He was the only way to God.[1]  This causes some people heartburn.   “Surely, there is more than one way to Heaven,” they reason.  But I believe Jesus because everything else that He said, as recorded in the Bible, has been absolutely true for me in my life experience.  Every single day of my life, His version of things has been validated in my life.  A Man who lived two thousand years ago still speaks to me through his words.  And He speaks to me through His Spirit. 

I’ve wondered what happened to the rich young man after he left that day.  We have no way of knowing.  But something tells me that it wasn’t the end of the story.  Once you’ve seen the light, it’s pretty hard to go back to darkness.  If he was as smart as I think he was, I’ll bet he kept thinking about Jesus’ instruction.  And I’d bet that not too long after, he made a decision.

I’ll leave it to you to decide.

[1] John 14.

Austin was a big, beautiful black Labrador retriever whose body mass was about sixty percent heart.  I watched him one day as he sat out on our back deck, the king of all that he surveyed.  His golden eyes squinted into the sun and he stared at a huge cloud, drifting across an incredibly blue Nashville sky on a perfect summer afternoon.   He had a very impressive pedigree (his lineage was traced all the way back to Ireland), but you would never have known it.  Austin was unpretentious and never attempted to conceal his glee when I came home.   His Lab head was huge, with large, incredibly white canines that looked as if they could rip one’s arm off.  His impressive ninety-pound weight intimidated every squirrel in his path.  But Austin was also one of the kindest and gentlest creatures that God ever created. 

He was my constant companion, sort of a silent co-star in my life’s play from the time I picked him up as a little puppy at a kennel, until the sad day of his death.   I named him for one of my favorite cities, which was also where I had completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Texas.  I had always wanted to move back to Austin and he was a constant reminder of that unfulfilled dream.

While I was in law school, he went with me to school and stayed in my Jeep while I was in class.  After class, despite having stayed in the car for at least a couple of hours, he was always excited to see me.  We rode home together and talked about events of the day.  Austin never asked for much of anything, except for the occasional belly scratch and he absolutely loved pig’s ears.  For the uninitiated, pig’s ears are exactly what you might think- pig’s ears, glazed and cooked expressly for use as dog treats.  To the human eye, they are simply disgusting.  But to the keen eye of a Labrador retriever, they are filet mignon, ahi tuna and Dom Perignon all rolled into one.  I always felt bad for the pig donor, but seeing the look on Austin’s face when I gave him one eased that pain.

I had finished my law studies for the day and it was the first time in a long time that I closed the books before nighttime.  Feeling a sense of temporary freedom from my studies, I decided that I would take Austin for a walk.  We walked slowly through the neighborhood.  Austin stopped for a minute, sat on his hindquarters and looked up at me in a pleading sort of way.   This was his way of telling me he needed a bathroom break.  Unfortunately, there were no doggie bathroom spots in sight; instead only neighbors’ well-manicured lawns.  I tugged his leash, which was our tacit signal that this particular yard was not intended to be a place where he could relieve himself.  The pointed look on his face told me that we had but a few minutes to make it to the vacant field just outside our neighborhood, otherwise, I would be reduced to using every dog walker’s emergency kit- the plastic bag in my pocket.  And this was something that I certainly avoided whenever possible.  So, we ran for it, tearing down the hill and made it to the field just in time.  We both looked at each other in genuine appreciation.  Afterward, we walked along the path next to the field for a few minutes.

As we walked along the path, I wasn’t really paying much attention to anything other than the beautiful day.   Suddenly I felt the leash go completely taut.  All ninety pounds of him pulled against the leash, as if the end of the world was right there.   I looked behind me and realized that Austin had “the look” on his big face.  “The look” was that of abject and utter terror.  When Austin got it, he froze completely.  And “the look” always meant one thing- some sort of storm was coming.

Austin was completely and unabashedly terrorized by thunderstorms.  The amazing thing was that his senses were so keen that he knew when one was coming long before it actually arrived.  And at least for the moment, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  I said to him, “Come on boy, everything’s fine.”  But Austin wasn’t buying it.  I tried  to distract him.  “Austin, look there’s a squirrel!” I said, “Let’s get him!”  He still wasn’t buying it.  I pulled on his thick leather leash.  I tried to drag him toward home.  But nothing I could do would persuade him to go with me.  So, I did what I had done countless times before.  I put my arms around him, grunted and picked him up.  Carrying him back up that hill was like moving a piano on my back.  I started to scold him as we struggled up the hill, but when I saw the look of terror remaining in his eyes, I kept it to myself.

He could sense when a storm was coming.  This meant that he would begin to shudder and shake, long before the storm arrived.  This meant that he had to deal with the storm twice- not only the storm itself, but also the fear of the storm as it approached.  And sometimes his fear of the coming storm was worse than the event itself.

No matter how I would reason with him, comfort him or attempt to reassure him, Austin had the same abject terror any time he sensed a storm coming.  Although he trusted me completely, this was one area where no amount of trust could overcome his raw fear.

Austin died a number of years ago and I still miss him.  He was the best animal friend I’ve ever had and a strong rival to many of my human friends.  We were as close as a man and his dog can be.  But somehow, I could never get through to Austin about his unjustified, irrational fear of storms. 

And one day, it occurred to me that in some ways, I’m just like Austin was. 

This is because God is to me, like I was to Austin.  Whether he realized it or not, Austin was always safe when he was with me.  Whatever it was, I had it under control.  If a thunderstorm approached, I took Austin into the house where he was safe and cozy.  There was no way that he could be harmed by that storm.  And I proved it to him, time and time again.  However, each time a storm approached, Austin had a choice to make.  He could either trust in me, or not.  But even if he didn’t trust in me, I would still take care of him.  And this is how our relationship with God works. 

The Bible uses the term “fear” throughout the old and new testaments approximately 325 times.  The word “afraid” appears approximately 206 times.  Generally, “fear” in the Bible refers to either fear of the Lord or fear of men.  Fear of men is how we ordinarily think of fear.  We are afraid of being hurt or injured in some way, either physically or emotionally.  The definition of “fear” also includes “extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.”   This is how the Bible refers to fear of the Lord, in the reverential sense.  In the Old Testament, “fear” is primarily used to mean fear of the Lord.  In the New Testament, many of the references to fear are used in the way that we traditionally think of fear, as defined in the first part of the definition.  The New Testament writers talk about fear of the Romans, fear of the Jews, and the like.

In the grand scheme of eternity, our lives here on earth are the blink of an eye.  So anything that happens here to us is, by definition, pretty insignificant.  At the same time, God will take care of us while we are here on earth, if we will allow it.   Faith allows it; a lack of faith interrupts it.  Even Jesus was unable to perform miracles in his hometown where there was little faith.[1]

God tells us not to worry.  [3]  Fear unchecked interrupts our faith and is the single biggest impediment to a meaningful relationship with God.  I think it is also the biggest reason new Christians fall away from their faith.  This is because the entire basis for your relationship with God is faith.[2]  The more faith you have, the better the relationship.  And fear is a result of the absence of faith.  So fear means that you are not fully trusting God with your life.  And this makes it the ultimate sin.  You can overcome any kind of sin in your life simply by trusting in God to fix it.  But if you doubt God, then your very relationship with Him is jeopardized.  The problem with fear is that it is so subtle and sort of sneaks up on you.  Big fear, such as that you might experience in a traumatic event is pretty obvious.  But much of the everyday variety of fear lurks quietly in the background.  The line between prudence and fear arising from a lack of faith is one of the most difficult you will ever face.  If you believe that God loves you and will take care of you, then you can deal with much of what life throws at you.  

If, as a Christian, you are still handicapped by fear, worry and doubt, then you will have a very limited and unfulfilling relationship with God.   Fear is a response to perceived danger.  Worry is a response to fear that is not dealt with.  Fear is anxiety caused by immediate danger, whereas worry is anxiety over the prospect of danger.  Fear is what Austin experienced during the storm; worry is what he experienced while waiting for it to arrive.  People worry about the possibility that the things that they fear will actually occur.   Doubt is the opposite of faith.  If we doubt God, we will be afraid and worry.

The recurring theme throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testament, is that God wants us to surrender every detail of our lives to him.  As Jesus taught His followers time and time again, God will take care of everything in our lives, including the details.  But until we fully surrender these details to Him, fear and worry will continue to control us. 

So, the moral to Austin's story is this:  trust your Master.  He has everything under control.  No matter what it is,  give it to Him.  The thuderstorm will pass.  God will take care of you.  He just will.

[1] Mark 6.

[2] Romans 6.

[3] Luke 12:22.

It had been a particularly bad week; the culmination of several equally bad weeks.  Things at work had been incredibly stressful and I had been dealing with extremely contentious litigation.  Litigation is my least favorite part of law practice because it always means a fight and there is almost always a loser in the fight.  And the truth is that with the costs and angst involved, there are no real winners in lawsuits. 

I had spent many previous weekends working, worrying and trying to resolve seemingly irresolvable issues.  Infinite loops of fear and doubt played themselves over and over again in my mind.  Catastrophic results projected themselves on that large screen HDTV in my head, culminating in my complete ruination.  But catastrophically worse than my own ruination, would be the ruination of my family.  Once you have children, the stakes in life become infinitely higher.  Your life’s gambles become their gambles.  If you fail, you take them with you. 

Whether I realize it or not, during these times the Holy Spirit is there with me.  He speaks to me in an inaudible and yet somehow distinct way.  It’s hard at times to distinguish between His words and my own self-talk.   It’s also hard to hear Him because I am continually interrupting Him with that self-talk.  But if I stop and listen, I can hear Him.   It may be through a particular passage of scripture.  Perhaps I’ve read it before.  But this one particular time, something resonates within me and the scripture takes on a new and deeper meaning.  Or, He may send someone to me; an inadvertent messenger.  There have been times in my life where I struggled with something and someone came into my life either as an illustration through their own circumstances, or they imparted a particular piece of the wisdom puzzle that helped me to deal the issue. 

At the end of that particularly difficult week I was completely exhausted.  It was a Friday night and my wife and I, with our two little girls, were headed to our usual restaurant near our home.  The girls and I were in the car, while we waited for my wife, Beth.   I was so stressed that I simply sat there in the car and silently prayed.  In that few seconds of pure and raw angst, I prayed and gave everything to Him.  I prayed: Father, I have been holding onto this for too long.  I am so tired of worrying about my career, my future, and that of my family.  I give it all to you.  When I opened my eyes, I felt that stifling weight in my spirit lift in way that is difficult to describe.  But the fear was gone.  And I felt myself back in the present, instead of that gnawing fear of the future unknown.  I was simply sitting there in my car, with my two beautiful little girls.

Beth got in the car and we pulled out of the driveway of our home.  As we drove off, I looked out the window to my left and saw something I had never seen before.  It was a “double” rainbow, one rainbow on top of another but each separate and distinct.  There was a front of a few dark clouds and the rainbows rose up beneath them and into them, with no apparent end.  The two multicolored shafts of translucent light were incredibly beautiful, and as close to anything I have ever seen that literally looked like a passage directly into Heaven. 

I pointed out the double rainbow to the girls.  Neither had ever seen even a single rainbow before.  And then something occurred to me that I had, like many other things, read about and quickly forgotten.  Chapter 9 of the book of Genesis describes the new beginning between God and mankind after the great flood which wiped all of mankind except for Noah’s family.  God caused it to rain for forty days and nights in order to destroy mankind, which had sunk to levels of depravity and evilness beyond anything imaginable.  The flood was the culmination of events which began with Adam and Eve. Mankind’s actions had resulted in an incredible deterioration of its relationship with God.  We started with a perfect and unfettered relationship, in which Adam and Eve simply relied on God and God took care of them.  But Adam and Eve allowed the snake to plant seeds of discontent in their hearts, which ultimately caused them to lose faith in God.  This loss of faith was demonstrated through their disobedience to Him. 

Their descendants perpetuated and amplified this rift with God.  Abel murdered Cain.[1]The human race became evil and depraved.[2]  Eventually God had enough.  He warned Noah to build an ark and then destroyed all of mankind, except Noah and his family.[3]  When it was all over, the waters receded and God blessed Noah.[4] God provided for Noah and his family.  God gave them a chance to start all over again.  God and Noah entered into a new covenant, which would again reconcile God and mankind.[5] In recognition of this new beginning of the relationship, God placed a rainbow in the sky to remind man of the covenant.[6]

When I first read this story in Genesis, I assumed it was an allegory of some sort.  It never occurred to me that it would have a real life application in my life.  But that day I realized that God was speaking to me through this story.  So, following a series of weeks in which, with all my emotional might, I tried to muscle my way through problem after problem, I finally surrendered it all to God.  The funny thing is that I know that God wants us to give Him our problems.[7]  I know that Jesus tells us not to worry.[8]  And throughout my life, He has proven time and time again that I can trust Him.  And yet, there are times when faced with problems that I simply fail to trust Him.  I instinctively reach for my arsenal of intellectual weapons and begin the battle.  And in doing this, I am following the pattern of all mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve, who refused to simply surrender everything to Him. 

Worry is an insidious sin because the desire to defend one’s self is so basic to the human psyche.  We are taught that God helps those who help themselves.  The United States of America is a self-determined nation of self-determined people.   We glorify people bring themselves up by their bootstraps.  We do have God-given skills and tools.  And He wouldn’t have given them to us unless He intended for us to use them.  So He doesn’t want us to sit passively by, waiting for Him to take action.  But on the other hand, we are told trust Him in all things.[9]  And worry is the opposite of trust.

In criminal law analysis, liability or guilt often rest with the defendant’s intent.  Whether or not a person intended to inflict the harm they did is determinative of whether or not they are held accountable for it.  And in the case of dealing with problems, to the Christian, the real question is the one of our hearts.  When faced with problems or stress, are we responding out of His will, or our own?  It’s when I do what I want and not what He wants, that I become like my ancestors, Adam and Eve who started the trend of disobedience.  How can we know what He wants?  It’s actually pretty simple.  We learn His will through prayer and our interaction with the Holy Spirit, that inaudible voice we can hear, when we listen carefully.  We learn His will through our study of His Word, the Holy Scripture.  And within that study, we learn His will through the example of Jesus.

And this brings me back to the rainbow.  Through my own stubborn refusal to submit to Him and my determination to try and solve my problems on my own, I had cornered myself into an infinite downward spiral of stress and despair.  When I finally gave it all to Him, I truly ceased caring about the outcome.  This is because I realized that God would take care of it.  And however He took care of it, it would all work out for good.[10]  And the best part was that when I finally came to my senses and submitted to Him, He sent me an incredibly beautiful rainbow.  And for the first time in their lives, my little girls got to see His reminder for all mankind of His covenant.

I must confess that there are parts of the Bible that I simply do not understand.  The Genesis 9 description of the rainbow had always seemed strange to me.  It reminded me of some of the mythology of ancient peoples used to describe phenomena that they couldn’t otherwise explain.  But on that day, sitting there in my car with my family, I realized that God had shown me, once again, that the Bible is absolutely accurate.  He had shown this obstinate prodigal son who was so determined to do things my own way, something that could only be described as a sign.   Once we return to Him and entrust our lives to Him that He will take care of everything.  He will take care of me.  He will take care of my family.  He just will.

[1] Genesis 4:8.

[2] Genesis 6.

[3] Genesis 6:9, 7:1-21, 8:1-22.

[4] Genesis 9:1.

[5] Genesis 9:8.

[6] Genesis 9:12.

[7] Philippians 4:6-7.

[8] Matthew 6:25-34.

[9] Proverbs 3:5-6.

[10] Romans 8:28.

Suppose you are wondering whether the sun will come up tomorrow.  On the one hand, anything could happen that would prevent, at least for you, the sun coming up.  You could get hit by a bus.  Or, you could go to sleep and simply not wake up.  There are a number of things that could happen that would mean the sun will not come up tomorrow, at least for you.  On the other hand, for every single day of your life, the sun has come up.  And it has for me as well.  Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that, because it has always come up, it always will. 

But arguing about whether it will really has no purpose.  I’m going to believe what I choose to believe and you will do the same.  In the case of Christianity, we’ve already discussed the ample evidence available as to its validity.  But you can choose to interpret it differently than I do, or even simply ignore it.  And that’s your decision. 

It’s like the controversy surrounding the Shroud of Turin.  The Shroud is a long cloth purported to be the burial covering of Jesus after He was crucified.  It’s stored in meticulously controlled conditions at a Catholic cathedral in Turin, Italy.   It contains the image of a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Jesus as described in the New Testament.  The man’s image has what appear to be nail wounds in the wrists, gashes on the man’s forehead consistent with a crown of thorns and bruising and marks consistent with the beatings inflicted on Jesus as described in the Gospels.  The Shroud contains trace amounts of the spices and ingredients that were used to prepare bodies for burial in Jesus’ time.  Its fabric is consistent with fabric used in the time of Jesus.

Interestingly, the image contained in the Shroud is a photographic negative.  This was discovered in an almost accidental way.  Photography was in its infancy.  A photographer took a picture of the Shroud.  When the photographic negative was developed, it revealed a positive image of the man.  Scientific evidence suggests that an intense light or radiation source imparted the image upon the cloth, in a manner similar to photography.  This is startling because no one disputes the fact that whatever its age, the Shroud is much, much older than photography.  Some scientists have argued that the image was painted by a medieval artist.  However, this theory simply doesn’t make sense, unless that artist could have anticipated the invention of photography.  Otherwise, why would he have painted the image in the negative? 

Ever since the Shroud was first discovered there has been a huge debate among scientists, historians and theologians as to its authenticity.  It has been subjected to intense scientific scrutiny and there is still no clear resolution as to its origin.  It was originally carbon dated (the process by which the presence of the isotope Carbon 14 is analyzed in order to determine its age) as being from some time during the Middle Ages.  This means, of course, that it couldn’t be the burial shroud of Jesus.  But, some scientists argue that the presence of algae on the Shroud contaminated the test.  They also argue that the samples tested were from newer cloth pieces that had been used to repair it through the ages. 

The image of a crucified man is found on an ancient burial shroud.  The image was created by a huge zap of energy.  It is a photographic negative waiting for photography to be invented.  All of the circumstantial pieces point to Jesus.  To even the agnostic, it seems miraculous.  Needless to say, that if the Shroud were somehow proven to indeed be the burial shroud of Jesus, it would have staggering implications.  We would have photographic evidence of Jesus.  The question as to Jesus’ identity would be resolved.

But it’s simply not that simple.

What if you could prove that the things claimed about Jesus as they are described in the Bible were incontrovertibly true, beyond any doubt, much less a reasonable doubt?  Let’s take it a step further.  What if you had an ancient videotape that could somehow prove that God had visited mankind two thousand years ago and provided a way out for man’s sin problem?   Chances are you would still be characterized as a crackpot or religious zealot.  Critics would claim that you faked the videotape. 

Even with incontrovertible proof, you would likely have a difficult time convincing people of the fact that Jesus was God incarnated and was crucified, in order for anyone who believes in Him can live in Heaven with God forever.  Humans focus on the here and now.  We become so caught up in our own lives that we are unable to put them into an eternal perspective. 

That was the nation of Israel’s problem during the exodus from slavery en route to the Promised Land.  God spoke to them through Moses.   He performed miracle after miracle.  They would listen and obey- for a little while.  But pretty soon, they were up to their old ways; disobeying and grumbling about the manna.[1]  We can’t help it.  It’s the human way.

Suppose that Jesus appeared today.  What would happen?  Would we listen to Him?  Would we obey his instruction?  Would we commit our lives to Him? 

Of course, we already have the answer to that question.  Jesus did appear.  It happened two thousand years ago.  And mankind not only rejected Him, but mercilessly tortured and killed Him.  So it would appear that we’ve come full circle in the analysis.  Simply, man will believe what man wants to believe.  Further, if there were incontrovertible evidence of Jesus, then there would be no need for faith in Him.  And, as I have previously explained, faith is God’s fundamental requirement of man.  He has given us the power to choose.  He will not impose His will upon us.  Instead, He asks us to reach out in faith to Him.

[1] Exodus 17.

The threshold question for anyone thinking about eternity is whether they believe in God.  By “God”, I mean the omnipotent Creator of the universe.  Lesser gods simply don’t make sense for me.  I’ve seen no evidence of a polytheistic universe.  Instead, everything points to a common guiding Hand.   But if you don’t believe in God, then it doesn’t really matter what you think about Jesus or who you think He was. 

On the other hand, if you do believe in God, then you are faced with the question of who He is.  Is he the grandfatherly bearded man that many people think of, sitting on an ancient throne in Heaven.  Is He an amorphous presence, wisping around the universe; sort of a cosmic spy, eavesdropping on things that humans do?  Is He an angry, vengeful God, as many people who have read a bit of the Old Testament believe?  After all, he turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt,[1] and caused the big fish to swallow Jonah.[2]  Or, is He a personal God; a vibrant omnipotent, omnipresent God who desires to have a relationship with each of us? 

I believe in the latter.  I believe it because my life is living proof of it.  The bottom line is that I know what I was like before I accepted Christ and I know what I am like now.  This radical change can only be explained by the intervention of the most loving God imaginable.  My life is the evidence of Jesus.  I know what I was like before I began to trust in Him, and I know what I’m like now.  And the “now” me is definitely better.  I am still a very imperfect creature, but I continue to grow, mature and develop in such a way that convinces me of God’s presence and love for me.

I have made plenty of mistakes in my life and continue to make them.  My Christian walk has been full of misfires.  My experience is probably the most common among Christ-followers:  a struggle with sin, repentance, forgiveness in an ongoing way as part of my lifelong journey.  However, the more I trust in Him, the less likely I am to make mistakes.  And I make fewer mistakes now than before.  The change in my life is the most convincing evidence of the truth of Christianity to me. 

When we follow Jesus, our lives are so radically changed that there is no human explanation for it.  The only explanation is that something supernatural has happened to us.  The proof in the proverbial pudding is in the eating.  Christianity works.  People’s lives are dramatically changed for the better.  And I believe that Christianity stands alone in this way among a plethora of religions, psychotherapy, and self-help doctrines.  Christianity is the world’s biggest belief system because it works.

Some people who are introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ decide not to become Christians.  Others fall away from the faith quickly.  They mistakenly believe that they don’t measure up.  In other words, they don’t believe that they are good enough to become Christians.  However, no one measures up.[3]  Christians don’t measure up.  We are all sinners and don’t deserve what God has done for us by way of the Cross.  Only Jesus measured up.  That’s why He was the perfect sacrifice.[4]  He didn’t deserve it, and yet he submitted to it.  Its exquisite unfairness makes it incredibly just.

Some people decide against Christianity because of what they believe to be the hypocrisy of Christians.   They judge the validity of Christianity based upon the actions of Christians.  If it doesn’t work for them, they reason, then it certainly won’t work for me.  But Christian growth is a lifelong process.  And you will encounter Christians who are in various stages of Christian growth.  Some live close to sinless lives, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit.[5]  Others continue to grow in their faith walk.    But all are ultimately headed for the same destination.

Some people simply decide that for them, Christianity isn’t worth the investment.  They believe that Jesus was who He said He was.  They believe He is the way to Heaven.  But they simply decide that Christianity isn’t worth it.  It’s too much work.  They are just too comfortable where they are.  They don’t want to give up certain behaviors, or decide that praying, studying the Bible and going to church just isn’t worth the hassle.  Even more tragic are the folks who believe that they can always change their minds later.  Maybe they eventually get around to it.  But some don’t. 

Even non-Christians understand the concept of walking the talk.  It is a basic Christian idea that faith without action is meaningless.[6]  Our beliefs are reflected in our lives.  We study God’s Word, in order to get better acquainted with Him.  We go to church because we want to worship Him.  And although that first tee is beckoning on a beautiful Sunday morning, we do what we believe He wants us to do.  Christians who pray regularly, study the Bible and go to church somehow end up with stronger faith and better blessings.[7]  The more we come to learn who Jesus is, the more we want to learn about Him.  And the more daily faith we have in Him, the better our lives become.   

At its core, Christianity is the simple step in faith of a nine year-old boy who acknowledges that Jesus died for his sins.  But we execute upon this faith with another kind of faith; an ongoing faith in our daily lives.  We believe in the power of Jesus to transform our lives, every step of the way.  In doing so, we relinquish it all to him; our fears, our ambitions, our sin, our lives.  The sooner we allow it, the faster our lives are transformed. 

And this is where the concept of faith becomes critically important.  We take that first step of faith by a simple belief, but we take the next step of faith and the step after that by allowing Him to miraculously transform our lives.  And the best part is that if we continuously engage in those steps of faith throughout our lives, He is incredibly and perfectly faithful to do everything that He promised to do for us.

[1] Genesis 19.

[2] Jonah.

[3] Romans 3.

[4] John 1.

[5] Romans 8.

[6] James 2.

[7] Deuteronomy 30.

Christian faith is complicated.  On the one hand, the simple faith of a child is all that’s required.[1]  But on the other hand, the daily walk in faith is so full of potholes, wrong turns and dead ends, that we can quickly find ourselves lost and bewildered.   

Christians take the initial leap of faith in Jesus.  We step off the curb and into the streets of life, armed only with our belief that Jesus’ work on the Cross has assured our eternal destiny.  Skeptics might view that leap of faith- the belief and acknowledgement that Jesus was God and that He Himself paid the price for our sins- as an Evel Kneivel -like leap over the Grand Canyon.  But I would argue that, in reality, that faith leap is actually pretty easy.   It’s the day-to-day Christian faith walk that is difficult.

I believe that when we take that first step of faith, we actually don’t have that far to go because God, through His Holy Spirit reaches out to us, takes our hand and helps us to complete the step.   Somehow, He touches us and meets us right where we are and in whatever circumstances we have found ourselves.  It’s almost a Divine appointment with our destiny.  God has been moving Heaven and Earth to get us to that point.  We see Jesus and realize that He is the only ticket out of it for us.  And it all comes together with a spiritual “click”.  We are sealed forever in Christ.[2]  And Heaven celebrates.

But I also believe that God will never, ever tamper with our free will.  So, after we initially accept Jesus, God allows us to do whatever we want.[3]   And very quickly, the cares, worries and temptations of this life intrude.   And these cause our faith to waiver.  We begin to wonder whether our conversion was legitimate.  We thought things would be a lot easier than this. 

But if we are wise, and more importantly, knowledgeable about God’s Word, eventually we figure it out.  We will realize that mankind’s pattern is to follow God, then fall away, realize our mistake, and then follow God again.  The books of Genesis and Exodus tell us all about it.  The nation of Israel is a perfect roll model for it.  They are captives in Egypt; God frees them.[4]  While wandering in the wilderness, they become hungry; God feeds them.[5]  Pretty soon, they start griping about the manna.  And so it goes.

So, the faith journey and living life are to some extent incompatible.  And the struggle to keep the faith becomes infinitely more difficult than the initial leap of faith itself.   However, it doesn’t have to be this way.   This is because we have both a roadmap and a companion on the journey.  The Bible is the roadmap.  We read Jesus’ advice in the New Testament gospels.  He tells us not to worry.[6]  He tells us to love God above everything else.[7]  He tells us to treat other people the way that we want to be treated.[8]  But the companion is Jesus Himself.  This is because, from the moment you accept Him, He comes to live within you in the form of the Holy Spirit.[9]  In other words, we have the mind of Christ.[10]

But again, He won’t force Himself on us.  We have a choice- we can enjoy His perfect peace, or not.

In my own case, the biggest issue I face in my faith walk is the, “Thanks God, I’ll take it from here,” syndrome.  Like the Israelites, I pray to God for deliverance.  I give all of it to Him in faith.  And He delivers me.  Then, feeling pretty good about myself, I take the steering wheel back from Him.  And before you know it, I’m right back where I started- in some self-created quagmire.

So, I have two bits of advice for you.  First of all, if you are not a Christian, give it some serious thought.  Read the Bible.  Familiarize yourself with your Maker.  Talk to Christians.  And if you are a Christian, stay in your faith walk, every single minute of every single day.  Carrie Underwood sang “Jesus Take the Wheel.”  I'd suggest that you give Him the entire car.  Get in the back seat.  But for Heaven’s sake, don’t be a back seat driver. 


[1] Matthew 18.

[2] Ephesians 1.

[3] Joshua 24, Deuteronomy 30.

[4] Exodus.

[5] Numbers 11.

[6] Matthew 6, Mark 13, John 14 and others.

[7] Matthew 22, Mark 12.

[8] Id.

[9] 1 Corinthians 2.

[10] Id.

The overwhelming evidence for Christianity exists.  It’s up to each of us to weigh it.  My own Christian faith is founded upon the same evidence that would persuade a jury by a preponderance of the evidence: documentary evidence, eyewitness testimony and direct evidence. 

Here is the evidence.  The Bible is the foundational evidentiary document for Christianity.  Its structure, contents and how it all holds together against the backdrop of our lives tell us whether or not it can be trusted.  The Bible reflects the thoughts and writings of a wide cross section of people over thousands of years that somehow came together in one book.  Any attempt to describe Christian beliefs that does not include the Bible is suspect, at best.  To understand Christianity, you must read the Bible.  And as to eyewitness testimony, there are millions of practicing Christians who can tell you what they believe and why they believe it.  The direct evidence is my own personal experience; my “testimony”, as Christians refer to it.  As well, there is the testimony of countless other Christians, which is incredibly persuasive.  And finally, the circumstantial evidence, the influence of Christianity on our world, is indisputable. 

You may have heard it said that in order to become a Christian, all you have to do is pray the so-called Christian’s Prayer.  These people describe it as an instantaneous “miraculous conversion” experience. After that, they say, “Everything will take care of itself.  No worries, no problems; once you give your life to God, everything is okay.  Just trust in Jesus.”

Unfortunately, this advice is sort of like dropping your teenager off at her dorm for the first time, the week before college starts with the sole advice, “Good luck; I know you will do well.”  When she returns home for Christmas break, you can’t understand why she struggled and eventually ended up with a “C” average.  The truth is that preparing your child for college is a lifelong project.  And Christianity is a lifetime endeavor.  My own Christian conversion did not happen instantaneously.  Certainly, I believe that I was “saved” and filled with God’s Spirit the moment I prayed the prayer.  But thanks to my own stubbornness, my Christian growth has been a staggered and sometimes painful process.  I’ve had many bumps and bruises, and much “backsliding” along the way.  And at least for a while, these things led me to doubt the legitimacy of my conversion and caused me to question my faith.  I would ask myself, “If I really was a Christian, I wouldn’t have acted the way I just did.” 

Christianity is, at its core, about trusting God with your life.  That’s what faith means.  This is a concept so simple that a child can understand it.  At the same time, one can spend a lifetime developing and refining that faith.  However, the problems, stress and difficulties of life continually work together in an unceasing effort to erode your faith.  You have to work at keeping it.  If you don’t, these things will act as a barrier between you and God.  You will live a sub-optimized life. 

I understand now that our initial “leap of faith” in Jesus reconciles us with God.  But it’s the daily walk in faith and dependence upon Him that makes us more like Him.  And He gives us the power to do it by actually indwelling in us Himself, through His Holy Spirit.  And my own experience is more common than most people would care to admit.  People accept Jesus and they still have problems.  But the important thing is that after my first confession of faith in Jesus, He was there for me.  He has always picked me up, dusted me off and helped me continue along the way.  But until someone decides to take that first “leap of faith” they can’t experience these things in life that will prove that Christianity is legitimate.  Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that we become perfect.  Instead, it means we are on a path to perfection, thanks to what Jesus accomplished on the cross.