Tuesday Thought -- June 14, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ‘This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.’” (Luke 11:29-32)

Sometimes God seems so absent and invisible to me. I know I’m supposed to believe in Him and His love for me, but it would be a whole lot easier if I could see Him work miracles and act in ways that left no room for doubt.

That was the attitude of the people of Jesus’ day. They wanted to be convinced. They wanted all doubt to be erased. The problem was that even when Jesus did perform miracles it wasn’t enough. They always wanted more proof – another miracle – an additional sign of God’s presence and work.

But there comes a point at which a person has to just step over the line and trust what cannot be seen and what will not be proven beyond all doubt. That is what faith is – to trust when you can’t see everything.

That doesn’t mean no proof exists – there is proof of God’s existence and proof of God’s care – just never enough to satisfy all doubts. To remove all doubts would be to eliminate the need for faith. But faith is what God is looking for – it is what He wants to find on the earth – it is what pleases Him.

Solomon demonstrated God’s wisdom – he was a living example of God’s gift of direction and guidance. Jonah demonstrated God’s compassion – he was a living example of God’s desire to see people change and willingness to give them a chance to do so. And people were impressed with Solomon and people repented at Jonah’s preaching.

For all of us, who live in the days after Jesus – Someone far greater is here for us. The teaching of Jesus shows wisdom that exceeds Solomon. The compassion of Jesus shows love that exceeds that seen in Jonah. The sacrifice of Jesus shows grace and mercy unlike any that has been demonstrated before.

Look at Jesus. Examine His life. Listen to His teaching. Gaze into His love. There is the basis you need for faith.

His, by Grace,

Steve