Many books on my shelves are written by those who have found God, or discovered their need of Him in strange ways.
I was reading the testimony of Eric Barrett, the compiler of two books, Scientists Who Believe, and Scientists Who Find God. Both contain stories and interviews with prior Sceptics, atheists or agnostics, all of whom experienced an awareness that brain power is not enough to absorb True knowledge.
Eric, himself a believer from an early age, has suffered one of my greatest dreads, the loss of eye-sight. Through the unfortunate genetic propensity to develop defects in the retinas of both eyes, he has undergone much trauma. Years of ongoing treatments have preserved limited sight, but Eric, in his belief that we can all learn from experience, has developed his own positive insights. “In the Biblical Gospels,” he says, “it is reported on several occasions that Jesus gave new sight to the blind. There and elsewhere in the New Testament, blindness is used as a picture of the spiritual state of people separated from God by sin: people who have neglected or rejected God, who have lived lives ignoring Him and His laws, and people who have lacked proper love and regard for others. “
He goes on to say that just as, by nature, we all sin in one or more of those ways, so he inherited the weakness that caused the disease in his eyes. We are all born with the inclination to sin in us. Look at any child and see the desire for his or her own way, now. The Bible tells us that if sin is not treated, or should I say recognised for what it is, rebellion, and left to develop further, so that we die with our sins unforgiven, we have no hope of experiencing the joys of heaven. How can we expect, asks Eric, if we have never acknowledged God in our lives, to be admitted to His home in heaven?
The unbeliever will say, “So what?” He doesn’t believe there is a heaven, so, why worry? Well, I may believe it will not rain tomorrow, and judging by our weather recently, that would be a pretty poor belief, but if I believe it, perhaps it will oblige with its absence. The trouble is that in my heart is a doubt, so I will rather take an umbrella with me, just in case it does rain. Unbeliever, you need an umbrella. Rather examine the Good News that is available, just as Eric explains how he found the right physicians to help him retain some eyesight.
There is a Great Physician, who, if you invite Him, will heal your spiritual blindness. He lived on earth as the God-man, Jesus Christ, and showed His love more clearly than He had ever done before. Eric goes on to say, “We noted earlier that, on more than one occasion, Jesus performed the miracle of curing physical blindness: something modern medicine can sometimes do today. But no-one other than God Himself can cure spiritual blindness, and so enable us to see Himself, ourselves, and others in new, true, and wonderful ways.”
The folk featured in his books have all received spiritual sight restored through faith in God. Their own personal experiences have thrown light on questions such as:
· Can Scientists honestly and justifiable believe in a Creator?
· Is it possible to pursue a career in Science, and practice Christianity, without compromising either?
· How can finding God lead to fulfilment and satisfaction far greater than any scientific discovery?
Please do not delay. Eric’s condition would have been far worse had he delayed in seeking expert help. The longer our spiritual condition is left, the higher the risk that it may become terminal. Seek help NOW.
Eric sums up with salient points from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, chapter 2, verse 3.
FIND GOD and all other discoveries will make more sense than before.
FIND GOD and all other discoveries will seem much less important than they did before.
FIND GOD and He will lead you into new areas of truth and experience beyond any you ever
Imagined before.
FIND GOD and you will want to share this supreme discovery with others too!
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