Whose child are you?

Note: this is from a weekly email by Garold Andersen of Watershed Arts. It's this wonderful every time. -mg


John 8:39 "Our father is Abraham!" they replied. Jesus said, "No. If you were Abraham's children you would act like him."

Looking through the titles on the non-fiction best-seller list a week ago, I saw book after book with 'God' in the title: The God Delusion, God is not Great, Against all Gods, etc. As the titles imply, the authors of these books are writing that believing in God is not only nonsense; it's dangerous.

Why do you imagine that millions of people would buy these books aimed at eradicating the concept of God from the world? Do they actually view God as the enemy of their happiness? Obviously many do. The books I've mentioned, however, are not to blame.

Was it the pagan system of Rome that Jesus confronted in the above verse or was it those who said they knew God? If Mr. Smith's children are bullies, cheats, and liars, why would Mr. Smith be any different? If his children said, "Our father is full of love and teaches us to love others", you would shake your head in disbelief. But when Mr. Smith's children claim to be the children of God, many of the people who meet them say, "I hope the God of these arrogant bullies doesn't really exist." And they are happy when someone writes a book that says he doesn't.

There is not much I can do about those who say that believing in God is stupid or dangerous. There's also little I can do about those who misrepresent God through their greed, lies, and arrogance. I can, however, pray that I am not one of them. "Son of God, full of love and grace, here are the pages of my life. Write the powerful evidence of Your character in me."