Revealing Clues

From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son...He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature. -- Romans 1:20, Hebrews 1:2a and 3a; HCSB

When I served as an associate pastor one of my responsibilities was ministering to teens. One thing we particularly enjoyed was scavenger hunts. One was very memorable to me. We had a "secret" meeting planned; the "secret" was that the teens had to follow carefully hidden clues placed ALL OVER our neighborhood to find the meeting place. At the meeting place we planned on having a cookout, singing, and hearing a message from a preacher-friend of mine from Africa. The clues were hidden over an eight mile radius; it took days to plan and hide the clues.

The teens partnered with an adult chaperone in groups small enough to ride in the adult's cars. Every team found the meeting place; some faster than others. All agreed that it was fun and hard.

It's funny, when you’re really looking for something that has clues you will find it. It may take some work, but clues are very revealing.

A word to the teen generation reading this...THINK about the things I am about to say. DO NOT be afraid to use your cotton-picking brains! Just so you understand me, ADULTS, you are not off the hook on this either!

One of the most wonderful, worshipful things I can dwell on is the fact that God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. At once it is all together humbling, awe inspiring and encouraging.

As Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20 testify, nature alone is sufficient to reveal the glory and nature of God. It's an awfully funny thing to me that (so called) science often looks at nature and natural things and "discovers" there is no God. I think one of the highest intellectual pursuits is to logically look at nature and there define or realize the wonderfully unified nature of God by His own handiwork. I have often marveled at the hand of our God; by His power He carved mountainous rocks and formed the most genteel flower petal. By His hand He has molded the tusks of elephants and the wings of dragonflies. We only have to observe His creation to know by it He has revealed Himself. As Romans 1:20b asserts, it is so plain to see God in His creation that no person is without excuse

I think modern science's problem is that they not are looking for God. The clues are there!

Furthermore, in God's word we have the testimony of His servants, His prophets, and, most importantly, His Son. Do you want to see the face of God? Seek the person of Jesus. What did He say? What did He do? How did He feel?

If we are willing to seek, we will find. If we are willing to hunt, we will see Jesus. We will see and know God. It is a pursuit of the heart in that we willfully search for the face of God. It is a pursuit of the mind in that we can use our God given skills of THINKING and LEARNING. We can exercise logic. We can ponder. We can meditate. We can take information in and process it.

Here, I believe, is the number one missing ingredient in finding God...we don't seek. We have shut our minds down to intellectual pursuits and turned them over to mindless activities. I think we are sometimes afraid to think! It seems as if we fear we may learn something that will require action. Or, is it that the enemy has so cleverly dangled simple things in front of us that we have been fooled into thinking they are the things of wisdom?

In closing, God has left MANY revealing clues about Himself. The question remains: are we looking? Read the following words from Proverbs 1:20-33. Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster" (ESV - emphasis mine).

Look at the clues. See God. Worship Him!