“There is a Place” to know God (Post #1).
Can I know God? Does He even exist?
The God the Bible claims to be Creator and Sustainer of the universe. But He also says we were made with an identity and a purpose that relate to Him.
My wife and I see young people frequently. We are very close to many who either have no parents or have parents that are not functioning. We have seen the pain in faces of others who are not able to cope with bad relationships or abuse or bullying. Some of the angriest act out against others. But when we finally talk one on one, we usually find a missing sense of identity or purpose. How can that be fixed?
In short, we were never meant to fix our core issues. Mankind has a bad record of fixing serious personal issues. Furthermore, modeling good behavior and forcing an “I’m fine” attitude does not fix the heart or repair much damage. God was always meant to be a part, but He is unknown to most people in a personal relationship, which is the path that heals.
That is what the Bible is all about. It may seem oversimplified and not possible, but it does not make it any less true. We were meant to be realistically related to Him. So, in the coming blogs, the core starting point is this premise: we are meant to be related to God.
It leads to this assertion: without Him, we are lost, unable to handle bad things, unable to forgive, and unable to rise above hurts. He was always meant to be that foundation. For this reason, Christ came in a miraculous way, lived like no one could live, died for all mankind, and was raised from the dead to assure our forgiveness of sins and make a way to walk with God – really walk with Him. It only requires an act repenting for whatever we think offends Him directly or the people around us, then wanting to learn to walk with Him with a whole heart. With those permissions from us, He makes His home in the core of our being. Then, and only then, will we find that “There is a place” to live and walk.
It might be best for the reader to think about this before going to the next blog posts. If you want to read two personal examples, where God speaks about this relationship with Him that people do not know, read John, chapters 3 (meeting with Nicodemus) and 4 (meeting the Samaritan woman). They did not know this relationship either, but that changed over time. In the same manner, a relationship with God can change you.
