Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:2
“Separation from God.”
This is how a teacher described hell to one of our children many years ago. Of course this is accurate. However, we were new believers and our children had limited Bible knowledge. ”Separation” didn’t sound so bad.
As I look at the current state of the nation regarding its attitude toward Christianity, the more I see how desperately we need to understand what it means to be separated from God.
The being of God is very difficult to capture in a few words. Jesus, though, gave us a statement that will set us on the right path: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).”
As “The Way” to the Father we hear that Jesus will set us in a right direction to God. Only if we follow Him, through faith, will we have access to God and therefore to the Holy Spirit (who is also God). Without God’s Way, we do not know right from wrong. We may have a worldly view of it, but not a God-honoring view.
Jesus points out that He is “The Truth.” Jesus gave us truth in leaving us His written Word. He also spoke truth, and He is Truth. There is no other source for truth that will bring salvation for eternity but also the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
This truth is the source for us to understand how to judge the goodness or evil of what we see happening around us. There is a darkness setting in. As our government schools teach, and people accept, more and more of what is politically correct (sexual practices at a young age, definitions of marriage and family as “whatever you make it,” “gender-fluidity,” abortion as a “woman’s body so a woman’s choice,” the hatred of Christianity and Christians, etc.) this darkness is permeating our culture.
Jesus further said that He is “The Life.” 1 John 1:4 says “that Life was the Light of men.” Jesus illuminates our lives. We live because His “Light” gives us Light to live by. It allows us to see the path that He directs us to go on. “In Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).”
The more separated we are from God, the greater the darkness as we drift away from the Light. Some days it looks really dark out there. Some days I am tempted to despair. But God has given us hope!
He says: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14. This truth is repeated in Isaiah 11:9.
My prayer for today’s Christian is that we will look to the One who is our Way, our Truth, and our Life so we will be bold and courageous and not lose heart. That when we see the wickedness in the darkness, we will trust God to direct our path to the Way He would have us face it.
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3