Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Confused (08/16/07)
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TITLE: jLack of Certainty | Previous Challenge Entry
By gene hudgens
08/19/07 -
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There is not one of us that has not been confused many times in our life. No doubt we can recall a person or two that we feel stays confused most of the time.
When we were young children we had difficult times understanding why we had to do things in a certain way and why mom and dad were so strict and why many teachers were so mean.
During our pre-teen and young teen years life was so very confusing. Over night our best friend was no long our best friend, being popular and accepted in the group was difficult, living with our parents was often a drag and the entire world was mixed-up.
We found it near impossible to understand that expression may be too easily confused with communication. When our mom or a friend fell apart and screamed when angry, we likely did not realize that this reaction was only an immediate expression…until they communicated and explained why they are angry.
We learned later to understand that when our mom or a friend fell-apart, felt anger and screamed, it was because they mistook one thing for another. They jumped to a conclusion without knowing the facts because of a lack of communication. They confused their immediate thoughts with facts.
Dr. Simon Greenleaf, one of the greatest legal minds that ever lived was for a long time determined to prove that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a hoax. After years of thoroughly examining the evidence for the resurrection, he concluded and finally emphatically stated in his book… that according to the jurisdiction of legal evidence the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the best supported event in all of history! He then committed his life to Jesus Christ… after being confused and lacking certainty for many years.
Think for a moment of how confused and defeated the eleven apostles felt that night in the garden of Gethsemane 2,000 years ago, when a blood-thirsty mob arrested Jesus Christ and took Him before Pilate. There they watched as Jesus was cursed, beaten, spit upon, and sentenced to die as a criminal by crucifixion.
These eleven men, who had forsaken all to follow Jesus, stood there in disbelief. They had watched Him walk on water, heal the sick, raise people from the dead, and still the raging storm.
They were totally confused. Mark 14:50 says, “And they all forsook Him, and fled”.
Apostle Peter, had boasted days earlier, “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.” (Mathew 26:35). However, this night he stood in the mob and saw Jesus dead; he was hurt, defeated, and confused. A woman confronted him and said, “you were one of them, you were with Jesus of Nazareth”. The Bible says Peter began to curse and swear, saying, “I know not this man of whom ye speak.” (Mark 14:71) Three times Peter denied Jesus, cursing and swearing, “I know not this man”.
If we have an ernest desire and are given time to think, we can, with the help of God, begin differentiating, discriminating, and gradually eliminating uncertainty and confusion.
Within two months the apostles were again together, again in Jerusalem preaching that Jesus Christ was alive.
They changed because they knew they were eyewitnesses to the greatest event in all of history.
Acts 8:3; 9:1; 9:3-5 explains how one of the greatest enemies of Jesus became the greatest Christian that ever lived…how Saul of Tarsus became Apostle Paul.
“Is Jesus Christ our Savior“? This is the most important question in our life. None of us know how long we will have this life, so it is imperative that we act now to insure “life everlasting”.
Doing good deeds, partaking of sacraments, baptism, joining a church or professing a religion is not enough.
God does not want any one of us to go to hell.
It is so simple to be saved. We only have to admit that we are sinners. We only have to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. We only have to pray a short sincere prayer, “Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and I am lost if You do not save me. I give thanks to You for dying for me at Calvary. I now come to You and pray that You will save me. Jesus, I accept You as my Savior. Amen”.
“Act With Certainty”.
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