One thing that's a common obsticle to people (perhaps you)
getting to know Christ is people who are already
Christians and their myriad flaws; interpersonally,
professionally, and historically. One of the letters
of Saul of Tarsus to the Christians in Rome has the
saying, "Let God be true, and every man a liar" (Romans
3:4). The story surrounding the statement is that some
people who had every opportunity to know God and do right
were depraved, unfaithful, and an overall bad example for
others who might otherwise have wanted some of the same
opportunities. But here, the author is emphasizing that
the jerk tendancies of the unfaithful are not the end-all
of following Christ, Christ is the point of following
Christ. I encourage you to consider the same request:
that you let your belief or relience on Jesus to depend
on the character of Jesus, and not someone else... be that
other peson a televangelist, priest, parent, schoolmaster,
ex-friend, or world leader.
Another common obsticle to knowing God
has less to do with whether the facts of Christianity
are true, but has to do with how you feel about the
conclusions or how well you like the outcome. The
psychological makeup of a human being lets him
believe something he knows to be false in order to
be more comfortable. Let me restate that -- the everyday
person can (and in fact, tends to) believe things that
are false because he (intentionally or sunconsciously)
decieves himself into going with the falsehoods anyway.
It's a common defense mechanism -- from the wife who
believes "he said this is the last time he'll hit me,"
to the politician who bounces check after check acting
like he's still got money in his account. These people,
while not crazy, are simply self-deluded. It's not an
insult, it's simply an observation. Back to the
implications for following Christ. A person can know
that the facts of God are valid, and that the desire
placed in his heart to know God is real, but if he's
living in a state of passive indifference (or, for some,
open rebellion), he's simply fooling himself. Perhaps
he's afraid that if he follows God that he'll have to
give up something he likes. Or that if he starts seeking
God, that he'll have to do things he doesn't want to do.
Perhaps there's been some horrible person in his past or
present who claims Christ, and our friend reacts against
this person to the point of invalidating anything in
connection with him. Whatever the reason, I feel I must
appeal to the man who knows Jesus is the way, but
systematically refuses to follow him, "Please let yourself
be led by what you know to be true, not the tempestuous
emotions which have no regard for your good." God cares
more about you and your well-being than your feelings do.
Ask anyone who wholeheartedly does whatever his feelings
direct him to do, and you'll find that these feelings have
no interest in taking care of him at all. "It's better
over here."
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