Why I Do This
Why Did You Do This???
I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe in Him deeply enough to offer my marriage, my children, my reputation, my esteem among men, even my very life, and burn them in sacrifice upon His altar in the hopes that the smoke thereof may ascend into the unseen temple and enter His nostrils with a savory scent that He may be satisfied with my travails and my repentance and forgive me and justify me and cleanse me of my sins that I may finally become holy, without spot, and be filled with peace, light, and perfect love; that I may finally know God, and Jesus whom He has sent.
I am trying an experiment upon what I hope is the word of a God, to see if indeed He exists and is a God of truth who cannot lie. I am putting myself, all that I am and have, on this bet, withholding nothing. I am doing this in the view of the world. If I am right, then I am showing forth an example of correct faith. If I am right, I am following the example of Jesus as He went forth and practiced and taught the Sermon.
If I am wrong, then I hope you were all mightily entertained, and I offer my apologies to my offended wife, who I would expect to shortly dump my psychotic* ass. If I am wrong, let us all go back to the "real" world of money-grubbing and status-hoarding and secretly abusing and consuming each other. It seems likely to me that that's all there is if I am wrong - the meaningless evolutionary world of nature, red in tooth and claw. Why bother keeping up the pretense of belief?
I know nothing. By trying this experiment I hope to come to learn something.
If there is a God, may He bless all who see this with understanding.
Jared Joshua "Log" Livesey
*I intended this as a colloquialism; fill in your choice of diagnosis.
Hi Jared. May I point out that even if the heavens don't open to you as a result of this experiment, it wouldn't prove that no God exists. Consider the passage of scripture. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6-8.) And may I ask why you now self-identify as "psychotic"? That's a psychiatric term. Have you received such a diagnosis?
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern. I intend to remain faithful to what I believe is my God unto my dying breath. There is no defined time limit for His answer, if indeed He exists as I believe. I will find out one way or another at death, according to what I believe is His word, which I believe shall happen sooner or later. For now, just enjoy the light of the fire.
DeleteThe works of FAITH are those that matter most, for they are the hardest to do. Blessed are those who have seen and believed, but more blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet believed.
ReplyDeleteYou have confessed your sins by faith in Christ. I don't see how it could have been done better. Thank you for your perfect example.