Simply Spiritual

So far this year we have seen quite a few natural disasters.  Earthquakes that have caused thousands of deaths, tornadoes and volcanic explosions that have caused major damage to property and the environment.

In the wake of these disasters, many people ask the question – where is God?  Why has he allowed these things to happen?

For some people this has just renewed and strengthen their faith.  For others it proves to them that God does not exist or that he does not care about humanity.  But is this really the case?

Our Choices

From the beginning of creation, God gave man the freedom of choice.  In the Garden of Eden He placed two trees – the Tree of Life, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  God told them they could eat from any of the trees in the Garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Well we know the story, Eve was deceived and she ate of the tree, and then Adam - who was not deceived by the way - knew very well what he was doing.  But he chose instead to follow Eve and eat the forbidden fruit.   The rest is history as they say.  God kicked them out and since then, man had to fend for himself.  (Genesis 2-3) .  If they had chosen to eat from the Tree of Life, things would be very different today.  Suffering would not exist.

A lot of the suffering that we see today comes from the choices we make.  God does not force us to do anything, but as long as we choose to do the right thing always, life would be much easier.  God Himself asks us to choose life.  If we do so, blessings will come our way.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.  I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.  Oh that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!”  Deuteronomy 30:19

We Must Learn from Our Mistakes

The reason why God does not interfere in our decision making is because He wants us to learn from our mistakes.  When we make bad choices and those choices lead to disastrous consequences, we only have ourselves to blame.  God will not interfere because he wants us to learn our lesson.  If he continuously saves us from our indiscretions then we will never learn and will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

You see once we acknowledge God as our Father and live to serve Him, life would not be as hard as we sometimes make it.  Living a life apart from God will never be easy.  We will always sow what we reap.

“Don’t be misled.  Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it.  You will always reap what you sow.  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”  Galatians 6:7-8

Sin Separates us from God

Many people don’t believe in God and as such they live life according to their own standards.  These standards are not in keeping with God’s laws and thus sin is their way of life.  This is another reason why they face so much suffering.

“For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord.  They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.  That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way.  They must experience the full terror of the path they have chosen.  For they are simpletons who turn away from me – to death.  They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them.  But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid of harm.”  Proverbs 1:29-33

Once we turn away from sin and live a righteous and holy life then suffering will be a thing of the past.  Of course, living a righteous life in itself is not easy, that is why Jesus Christ came the first time to die for us.  No one understands pain and suffering more than Jesus and through Him we can be comforted as well as receive forgiveness for sins.

“Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day.  With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.’  Luke 24:46-47.

A New World Without Suffering.

God does not like us suffering, but as long as we remain separate and apart from Him, human suffering will continue.  The good news though is that there will be a time when all humanity will live totally happy, sin free lives.  That time is at the second coming of Jesus, to establish the Kingdom of God, where everyone will have the opportunity to repent and live life in eternity.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people!  He will live with them, and they will be his people.  God himself will be with them.  He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  For the old world and its evils are gone forever.”  Revelation 21:3-4

The natural disasters we are experiencing now signals the second coming of Jesus.  If we repent now then we have first priority of living in eternity with Him.  The details of this would be given in a subsequent article.