Signs
M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed a film called, "Signs" which was released in 2002. The backstory of the movie was around a priest who had lost his wife and his faith. As the story progresses we see events come together that would eventually restore this priest's faith and seem to indicate that the miraculous can happen in life. In the movie, evidence after evidence pointed to (I'll say) God working things together to guide and prove himself to this priest. Thus the title, "Signs". That's my synopsis of the movie anyways - if you've seen it, you may have gotten something totally different out of it!
Signs can be used to indicate the presence of something existing. They can also be used to point to or explain something. Signs are an important part of the Christian life - please let me explain.
We do not follow signs - that can lead to disappointment and deception. Our faith is not in the miraculous, or in the wonders, or in the signs. Our faith is in the God of the miraculous, of the wonders, of the signs. We trust not in the works of God, but in the God of the works. We tell of what God has done in our lives and throughout history to point to Him, so that our hope would be in Him, not in the signs or the miracles or the wonders.
This is an important distinction. If someone questions or attacks the validity of what God has done in our lives, it doesn't shake us because our hope, our salvation, is not in the work of God but in the God of the work. Remember what He has done in your life, yes, but let it only serve to point you to the faithful One who continues to work in your life.
It is encouraging, at times refreshing and amazing, to see the evidence of God working in our lives and the lives of others. Growth is a natural progression in any child of God. But lest we become like Gideon who made an idol out of the victory of God in his life, we must avoid making idols out of the miraculous signs and wonders of God in our experience. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, especially in the times when God is silent.
Finally, Scripture, the greatest sign if you will, points to one place; actually to one person - the Lord Jesus Christ. Threaded throughout the bible are indicators, signs, and explanations of the One who came to earth, and all that He is, and all that He has accomplished. The cross is a sign of humility and greatest love. The resurrection is an assurance of what is to come when we pass from this life to the next. Our hope is not in our faith, our understanding, our doctrinal correctness, but in the God who, through Jesus, relates to us every day in humility, mercy, and understanding.
As in Psalm 78, "they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God". You can trust in His saving power.
M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed a film called, "Signs" which was released in 2002. The backstory of the movie was around a priest who had lost his wife and his faith. As the story progresses we see events come together that would eventually restore this priest's faith and seem to indicate that the miraculous can happen in life. In the movie, evidence after evidence pointed to (I'll say) God working things together to guide and prove himself to this priest. Thus the title, "Signs". That's my synopsis of the movie anyways - if you've seen it, you may have gotten something totally different out of it!
Signs can be used to indicate the presence of something existing. They can also be used to point to or explain something. Signs are an important part of the Christian life - please let me explain.
We do not follow signs - that can lead to disappointment and deception. Our faith is not in the miraculous, or in the wonders, or in the signs. Our faith is in the God of the miraculous, of the wonders, of the signs. We trust not in the works of God, but in the God of the works. We tell of what God has done in our lives and throughout history to point to Him, so that our hope would be in Him, not in the signs or the miracles or the wonders.
This is an important distinction. If someone questions or attacks the validity of what God has done in our lives, it doesn't shake us because our hope, our salvation, is not in the work of God but in the God of the work. Remember what He has done in your life, yes, but let it only serve to point you to the faithful One who continues to work in your life.
It is encouraging, at times refreshing and amazing, to see the evidence of God working in our lives and the lives of others. Growth is a natural progression in any child of God. But lest we become like Gideon who made an idol out of the victory of God in his life, we must avoid making idols out of the miraculous signs and wonders of God in our experience. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, especially in the times when God is silent.
Finally, Scripture, the greatest sign if you will, points to one place; actually to one person - the Lord Jesus Christ. Threaded throughout the bible are indicators, signs, and explanations of the One who came to earth, and all that He is, and all that He has accomplished. The cross is a sign of humility and greatest love. The resurrection is an assurance of what is to come when we pass from this life to the next. Our hope is not in our faith, our understanding, our doctrinal correctness, but in the God who, through Jesus, relates to us every day in humility, mercy, and understanding.
As in Psalm 78, "they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God". You can trust in His saving power.
Comments
Post a Comment