Columnists
Thinkable: Can you hear me now?
By John Hoelzel Sr.
Feb 7, 2010

In some past Thinkables we have introduced symbols for 6 orbital elements that geometrically describe the trajectory of earth satellite orbits.  These are often expressed in Greek letters, and I suspect that while a few of you might have stuck with me and learned something, many of you felt “its ALL Greek to me.”  This is my way of introducing something that is impossible for humans to understand UNLESS they have the key.  I know many of us love to work a crossword puzzle, or at least to be a hero and fill in some letters that our friends could not solve.  But there are some things we can’t solve without the key.

But today’s puzzle can be understood by six year old kids while completely stumping PhD’s in exotic subjects.  Our subject now is God’s communication with humans.  It is the problem of the finite trying to grasp the infinite, and the proud trying to understand servanthood which they have never experienced.
 
How many of you would genuinely like to understand God with clarity and confidence?  God would also like that, but think for a moment about 2 different situations.  First remember that religious leaders repeatedly tried to trap Jesus (the Son of God).  But in each case Jesus knew their hearts and motives, and He always caught them in their own trap.  Secondly consider that Jesus had to chide His disciples so they would stop forbidding little children to come to Him, since “of such are the kingdom of heaven.”  What attributes automatically filter out learned religious leaders but provide a direct path to knowing Jesus personally.  Pride keeps many humans out of heaven, whereas faith and obedience open the door of heaven to many kids and humble people. 

Jesus said boldly and plainly that “no one comes to God (the Father) except through Him.”  But He soon left the earth so He could send the Holy Spirit to give us understanding and remembrance of Him (the Way to heaven), and of His Word.  Simply put, we must humble ourselves to trust Jesus as our savior (who paid for all our sin with His blood on the cross), and THEN as we choose to obey Him His Spirit opens God’s Word to us, which was previously “Greek.”  When we desire to please God He honors that and opens the windows and doors of our understanding and turns on the lights.  What was dark and unintelligible before becomes delightfully clear and beautiful.  John Newton (former slave trader) expressed it simply as “once I was (spiritually) blind, but know I see.”  Before inviting Christ to be my savior I had read most of the Bible (without really understanding).  Afterwards reading God’s Word was like reading a love letter; the difference between being at Basic Training mail call with OTHERS receiving letters vs. me receiving love letters from my fiancée. 

Jesus never forces Himself on anyone, but He honors His promise to draw near to us when we choose to take a step of faith toward Him.  He even says we believers have “the mind of Christ.”  The key to all this is described in Philippians 2 that describes the humility and obedience of Christ when He took on human form to show us what God is like, to experience our limitations and temptations directly, and to suffer and die to pay for our sins so we could become equipped for be in His holy presence forever.  Can you hear Him now?  If not, back up and get the keys of faith, humility, and depending on the Holy Spirit to empower you, personally invite Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior from all your sin.