About thirty-five years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, "God, if there is a God, I'm open. If You're real, I want to know You're real. And, Jesus Christ, if You can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it."
You know what happened? I didn't get goose bumps. I didn't cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that.
Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life—because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.
Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, "I want the truth more than anything else." Once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?
First, through creation.
We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe.
For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.
The Bible says, "The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse" (Romans 1:19-20 MSG).
In the coming days, we'll look at how God also leads us to the truth through conscience, careful consideration, His commandments, and through Jesus Christ.
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