Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

My vacation in Sanibel Island is nearly over. I am sitting in the local library writing this blog before flying out this evening. Today's scripture is taken from Daniel 1-2 and 1 John 4. I try to find a theme that fits the trip to this mostly retirement locale. One thing I managed to do was to read a lot. These are the books I finished:
1. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins
2.  God, Freedom, and Evil by Alvin Plantinga
3.  Science & Its Limits by Del Ratzsch
4.  Humble Apologetics by John Stackhouse, Jr.

Obviously I did not read any of these books in great detail (maybe except The Language of God which I started before the vacation). But I think I managed to learn enough to understand the subject and to know when and where I can look back for reference. There is a common theme to these books: God is an amazing creator - both the physical world and the invisible. I definitely feel the limitation as a human to comprehend the vastness of God's working in the world and among the humankind with whom God wants to have a special relation. I am ever more grateful that I have come to know this God while I live on this earth. I look forward to spending eternity in awe and praise! My reflection this week has been to consider (1) when to believe what I have heard or read; (2) how to share this discovery with those I meet.

I think today's scripture reading gave insight into these questions. Daniel was among the exile from Judah to serve a cruel and foreign king in Babylon (Daniel 1:6). Instead of feeling self-pity and blaming God for his circumstance Daniel remained faithful and did the best he could. He continued with his religious practice (dietary - Daniel 1:8 and prayers - Daniel 2:8). He depended on God to solve the impossible problem of interpreting the king's dream without actually knowing what the dream was! And he gave God the glory by telling the king the source of his wisdom. Now there is no reason to believe that this story (or the person Daniel) was a made up story. (A number of articles can be found on the Internet regarding the authenticity of Daniel. This Dead Sea Scrolls article is particularly helpful). Although there is always a mystery that God communicated with Daniel in a dream and how Daniel believed that the dream was from God. I acknowledge that God does the miraculous thing during extreme world event to make His Name known.

The apostle John gave this warning: "don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God." (1 John 4:1). He then told us the litmus test: "Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God." (1 John 4:2-3). Another proof that someone is trustworthy: "Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love." (1 John 4:7-10). So when I read a book or listen to a sermon it is important to know if the writer or preacher acknowledges that Jesus is the Saviour and that showing Jesus' love is always the motive behind the lesson.

When I reflect on how I conduct my life and how I share the essential truth of God's love with others, I must remember to learn from Jesus Himself. He is described in scripture as "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). I often thought it helpful when I communicate with others that my words should always be full of grace and truth; and in that order - grace first then truth. Do I see someone as God sees the person - one who is loved by the infinite God? Do my words come spiced with Jesus' love? Oh how I need the Holy Spirit to teach and guide me both in discerning the truth and to communicate the truth.