Science Vs. God

"The fool says in his heart, 'God does not exist.'" - Psalm 14:1

In college, I took a class focusing on the functions of the brain. We learned about all of the amazing ways our brains process information and direct our bodies. It seemed so automatic that I had to ask my professor how God fits into this from the scientific point of view. He recommended a book to me called "Why God Won't Go Away," written by two neurologists who have years of lab experience and yet cannot prove the case against God. They studied Catholic nuns, Buddhist monks, everyone under states of prayer and meditation and could not explain why their brains began to trigger in certain ways. All this seems opposite to what we're taught today in our school systems. They teach that religion is a form of social control and that God does not exist. But as followers of Jesus, we should know that the way we live our lives is not the way the world does. The world values power, money, riches, and Christians value humility, faith, and kindness. The same then goes for the belief in God - the world sees Him as a fable and we equate unbelief with being a fool. In fact, the root of being a fool is this lack of faith in God, totally contrary to what so many scientists would say today. While science creates all these theories on how things were created without God which they have never been able to prove, despite all this time, money, experiments, and technology, remember this verse and know where truth originates from - faith in the One, true, living God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, man always seems to be on a quest to say You're not there, when all You want is to show us You love us. Open our eyes of faith so that our hearts can prove Your existence to an incredulous, impious world. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Mother Teresa's Perseverance of Faith

I was watching the Today Show yesterday and during a segment they introduced a new book entitled, "Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the 'Saint of Calcutta.'" This book publishes many letters she wrote during her lifetime to colleagues and friends and it seems that the overall theme of the letters was her struggle with her faith. In one letter, she actually writes, "What do I labour for? If there be no God, there can be no soul, if there is no Soul then Jesus You also are not true."

While part of me feels that this book is a good example for those that struggle through the dark night of the soul, I also feel that the media and those that take every opportunity they can find to knock down religion are going to use this as an excuse to say that even someone like Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to God, did not believe but spent her life pretending.

The truth is that we all struggle. When Paul wrote in Ephesians that our struggle is not against human forces, but the forces of evil, he was 100% right. While we're here on earth, we will go through things that will severly test our faith. The enemy is subtle and effective at making us believe that God has abandoned us and He is not faithful, but like all things that truly matter and are important, we need to continue the daily struggle with our faith.

The call to follow God is NOT something that comes easily. Day after day we need to renew our dedication and our belief that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life and by no other name shall we have eternal life. Some days we are on fire and we feel the Holy Spirit with us constantly, while other days we feel so alone and wonder why God has abandoned us. This is why Paul and the other writers of the New Testament constantly warned us about the importance of staying steadfast through these trials, because they happen to all of us. The 1st letter of Peter, chapter 2 says, "Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace, gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears." He even goes on to say, "you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation of your souls."

So when you struggle with your faith, do not think you are alone because even the most holy people that walked the earth like Mother Teresa had the same doubts. Although her written words expressed doubt, the works of her hands expressed the most amazing faith in God. Someone that does not believe in God would never live the life that she lived or give so much of herself to those that society chooses to turn a blind eye to. If she did not believe, she would have given up her work decades ago instead of picking up her cross each day. She chose to believe that the Lord Almighty is her God and that Jesus Christ is her savior and she perservered in the faith to the very end.

My prayer is that all those that hear about this book and her struggles choose to see her as an example of someone who said yes to God every day of their lives despite doubts and adversity, instead of using this champion of the faith as another excuse to say God does not exist.

You Believe In God, So What?

"Do you believe there is one God? Well enough, but do not forget that the demons also believe and tremble with fear!" - James 2:19

I was out to dinner the other night with a group of friends. I was having a conversation with the people sitting towards my left when I heard the people to my right talk about God. One girl said, "I don't believe in God. I don't care what happens because to me, there is nothing there," while the other person said, "I can't tell you if I believe a God exists or not, I don't know." I have come across a lot of people that have similar points of view, but more often than not, I come across people that do say they believe in God. For those that believe, including myself, how do we manifest this belief? A lot of times people think themselves righteous because they say they believe, or feel that by just believing, they are done and don't need to do anything else. But in this letter, Saint James gives us a hard reality check - even Satan and the demons believe in God and tremble with fear! Do we even tremble? If we who believe don't find a way of being better believers than the demons of Hell, we're in trouble! How are we any different?

The difference lies in our actions. Don't say you believe but never go to church, never pray, spread hate. Then you are just like the demons in Hell. Instead, show that you are not like the demons in Hell and let your belief in God show love, mercy, compassion, and a true friendship with God.

Today's Prayer:
My God, allow Your Word in me to always develop into fruit. Allow that through me, others may see how good You are. I don't want my faith to be dead and the same as the demons, but grant that in You, I may show Your light. In Your Name we pray, Amen.