HOLIDAY ADS ASK, 'WHY BELIEVE IN A GOD'?

You better watch out. There is a new enemy in the Christmas wars.
    A couple of years ago, signs proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," were visible on Washington, D.C., buses. The American Humanist Association was sponsoring the ads that ran through the end of December. Fred Edwards, spokesman for the Humanist group, was quoted saying, "We are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds." The humanist group believes that “many people imagine that the only way to be good in this world is through belief in a god.”  Humanists use reason and the tools of science to better understand our world and the best way to live in it. Humanists understand that compassion for fellow human beings, as well as an acknowledgment of their inherent dignity and worth, must form the basis of our interactions with each other.  They offer the question, “Does religious faith offer the only lens through which to judge life’s events?”
    Several problems in our society exist as a result of a humanist philosophy. 
    The first problem is foundational to community and order within any community.  Humanists ask, “Why believe in a god?  Just be good for goodness sake.”  There is no such thing as existence without a god.  Voltaire was partially right when he said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.”  People who refuse to worship or even acknowledge the One True GOD, always choose to worship a false god, most often themselves.  Whatever a person chooses to be their god becomes the basis for their values.  Who or what we worship, determines our view of what is right and what is wrong.  Without the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there are no absolutes, therefore each person chooses what is right or wrong based upon their own desires. 
    A second problem is exposed in the statement, “Just be good for goodness sake” (after all isn’t that why Santa Clause is coming to town?)  Why should we be concerned with goodness? If there is no god or no heaven, then why should anyone be good?  This attitude is demonstrated in society through the “just don’t get caught” philosophy of life.  The trend is to view our actions not as what is right or what is wrong, but rather by asking, “What are my chances of getting caught?”  Case in point: right now ask yourself, “When I’m driving, do I obey the speed limit because it is the law or do I disobey the speed limit because they never run radar on this road.” 
    So here are only two of the problems that result from a humanist philosophy, I assure you there are others that presently exist and more still to come. 
    There is a solution to these and other problems. As followers of Christ we can begin to share God’s love through our actions.  We can live out the promise in our lives.  It only takes 3 things:
PRAYING
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.  Luke 5:16 (NIV)
They [Christians] devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NIV)
The story is told of two church leaders discussing a major problem.  Having exhausted every possible solution, one of the leaders said to the other, “All there is left to do is to pray.”  To this the other replied, “Do you really think it is that bad? Has it finally come to that?” 
What a sad commentary on our faith when we view prayer as a “last resort” or “act of desperation” when it is instead our primary means of hearing from God.  Think of all the time wasted by praying after we exhausted all other options. Lets begin today praying first and then acting.

GIVING
" Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Malachi 3:10 (NASB)
Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"  Mark 10:28 (NIV)
And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. Luke 5:28 (NASB)
    Right now reflect on how you reacted to the word “Giving.”  There seems to be very few verbs that cause a consistently negative reaction or thought as the word give.  Why is that? And why do we almost always associate the word give with another word, money? 
    Perhaps the problem is we start with our possessions rather than starting with our own lives.  I don’t believe for a second that God needs our money or possessions.  In fact, it is the opposite!  WE NEED God to give us money and possessions.  Our society has gotten to a place where our possessions possess us!  Instead of giving our lives over to God, we have given our lives over to our stuff. 
    Tithing involves more than stuff, it also involves our thoughts, energy, talents, skills, words, in short, everything we think, say, and do.  We commit our whole lives to following Jesus’ example and then giving a tithe of what God already has becomes easy.  Instead of giving 10%, God gives to me 90%!

SERVING
For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. Galatians 5:13 (HCSB)
Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. 1 Peter 4:9-10 (HCSB) 
    Our world, in particular the United States, has lost something of great value.  We have lost the concern for others.  We are slowly losing the desire to serve without thought of compensation.  Evidence of this can be found in shows like “Survivor” where the hero, the winner, is the person who is the most “cut-throat” or ruthless.  There seems to be a growing trend in professional sports where the needs (or wants) of the player is greater than those of the team.  A good example is the epidemic of selfish acts on the football field and basketball court.
    Serving is not one of the hardest things God tells us to do, rather, it is perhaps one of the easiest areas for us to become obedient. Yes, serving might mean going to the farthest reaches of the earth and live under a bush eating bugs. More often it means being kind to the cashier as we check out or helping a neighbor. God tells us to serve one another because we need one another to get along in this world.