Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

"'No, father Abraham,' he [the rich man in hell] said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He [Abraham] said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"¹

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right.²

Often it is said that seeing is believing. Obviously this isn't necessarily so. Basically, people believe what they want to believe, what they choose to believe, often times what is convenient to believe. It has been said that faith in God is often more of a moral problem than an intellectual problem. This is because many know that if they choose a life of faith in God, there are things in their life they will need to give up. For these people, it is much more convenient not to believe in God. No matter what evidence they are presented with that confirms the existence of God, they refuse to see it.

However, when I choose to believe in God the eyes of my understanding are opened and an amazing thing happens—believing is seeing.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I come to You with all my doubts and fears. With Your help I choose to believe in You and trust my life fully to You. Open the eyes of my understanding and help me to see Jesus. And help me to so live that others will see Jesus living in me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Parable told by Jesus in Luke 16:30-31 (NIV).
2. From http://www.eSermons.com.

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