Why?

I had an interesting conversation the other night with one of the guys I work with.  We were talking about God and Jesus and at one point, I asked him this question:

"If God isn't real; if Christ isn't the Son of God, our Savior, and everything else He claims to be, then why out of all the names in the world, do these two names become used as curse words?"

I used this to illustrate the point that if the enemy (Satan) wasn't real, then why would these two names be uses they way they are. (BTW, I'm guilty of this in my past, and my friends could attest to this).  My point is and was that night, that if the two weren't who they say they are, then their Holy Names would not be used in those terms.  And it wouldn't be one of the Ten Commandments to not do this.

I want you to think about that today.  I told him further that out of all the language I hear in the hangar that these are the things that bother me the most and further explained to him that he's one of the worst offenders.  I was nice about it but explained to him he does it frequently and without even thinking about it.  How many times in a day do you do this?  I know another person who professes faith that does it frequently.

We talked of other things, too, and I had a chance to share with him a radio program called "Running to Win" that was on right about quitting time.  The topic of the program was most appropriate for the circumstances of our conversation.  He surprised me and actually listened to the program!  

Yesterday, he told me his wife had been beating him up a little bit about his faith, too.  I explained to him that if he's heard it from more than just me, that it's God trying to reach out to him.  I read about this once someplace else and on Running to Win last night, the pastor explained that God calls His children to Him through Christ.  I told the man that I just felt compelled to share my testimony with him and share with him what God does in my life.

I believe most people can look to a moment in life that they've had their own encounters with God.  The man shared with me a story of what God did for him in his own life.  The man had a God sized encounter and somehow doesn't see that it was God.  He more or less attributes it to a 6th sense.  He explained how he has to have things happen in his life to have faith with this analogy:

I have faith when I step on the brakes of my car that they're going to work, because they always have.  I've seen that.  

I told him I've seen God at work in my life.  From the outside looking in, you might disagree (especially those who know some of the things going on in my life).  Clearly, though, God does work in my life.  Even when things may appear not to be going right, they really are because those little trials (and the big one, too!) will do two things.  First, it keeps me on the right path.  Second, each little thing that I learn from brings Glory to God, because He's accomplished His purpose with each trial I come out of successfully.

What does God do in your life that you don't see?  Are you guilty of using Jesus' name as an adjective to describe something bad?  Do your kids think that Jesus Christ is part of their name when they do things wrong (I mean that, and don't say it flippantly)?  Or do they know Jesus, who He is, what He represents?

Food for though for a Friday.

Oh, by the way, yesterday, I only heard the man do this twice and the first time he corrected himself.  The second time, I don't think he even noticed, but I noticed the change and I appreciated the fact he may not agree with me that Christ is Lord, God is supreme, the Creator of all, but he had enough respect for me to try and make that change.

One last thought:  today's Our Daily Bread devotional was about letting our lives and what God does in them be our best argument for sharing the Gospel with others.  I think that's true because there's so much misinformation about Christianity.  I try to be that light for Christ that shines so others can see what God does for me and want that peace and joy in their lives that only Christ can give.

God bless all y'all and have a great weekend.  

Coop