What Are the Odds?

Psalm 139:13-16  For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Billions of people on one small planet able to sustain the basic needs of a creation, that, while it has changed and will change over time, it remains a world built for its creatures great and small. Though many argue it is just years away from complete destruction, these same people age the planet at billions of years old. Remarkable! One can only imagine how that happened when it is only this generation that is wise enough to save the planet from the human race (mankind) that has selfishly used, abused and put us on this path of destruction.

What are the odds? A world full of creatures, created supposedly by a chance super explosion (the Big Bang), have had the energy/power to breathe, walk, eat, produce mini me’s, learn, teach, grow, and live each moment that is allowed… by chance.

And yet, there is only one world we have discovered, like us. In fact we have yet to find another planet that could provide even temporary sustenance for this creation. We IMAGINE that there are more but as of yet there isn’t a vaca to the New Earth star. So… we better get busy SAVING this one.

What are the odds?

On the other hand, what if it’s not chance at all, but God?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

What if there is Someone Who has a Master design plan? What if there is Someone who took time to prepare the earth, provide for its long term sustainability, and manages every detail to insure His Creation will indeed fulfill His Master Plan for it. Someone Who doesn’t just play with the world He creates and sustains, but desires intimacy and partnership with the creatures and their world.

Psalm 139:1-5 You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. And, Oh, the audacity, does all this (and keeps on doing it) without my permission or awareness, or god forbid, without my agreement.

Psalm 139:7-12 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

Are you betting that there is NO God? Are you counting on the idea that there is no higher authority than man himself or herself? Are you convinced that all of life happens pretty much by luck?  Do you “Imagine” that your perception is the only reality, and therefore YOU are the judge, jury, and alpha of YOUR WORLD.

For some this is comforting. No one to “really” answer to, and no one to make me do what I don’t want to do or not let me do what I want to do. FREE to be me!

Someone once sang… Freedom is just another word for nothing left to loose… (“Me and Bobby McGee” is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson intended. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the U.S. singles chart in 1971… Wikipedia…)

But what if the odds are against you? What if you have A LOT to loose? What if by choosing to bet against God, you loose Him, for eternity?Might I suggest you give your deck of cards one more shuffle before you go all in with your bet?

Since we have no idea of the number of our days written in God’s book, we might want to consider that the final card dealt will end the game. All bets stand as is and all cards are turned over to reveal, for eternity, if you’re a winner or a looser.

I am always glad to be given the opportunity to talk about the gamble I have made in the game of life. Just ask and I will tell you, “I am ALL IN with God, My Father, who loved me so much He sent His Son to save me. I will tell you He sought me and caught me and bought me redeeming love.” I will tell you that, “Because of Jesus, I am declared WINNER and will never loose eternity.”

But I will also tell you that no one could ever “tell” me (and MANY tried) to chose to believe in God. I was once one of those people who now think of me as an idiot, but smile and nod so as not to “hurt” my foolish feelings. So I know, that what my Rabbi (Rabbi Michale Vowell) said on Saturday is true… you can tell someone all day long but until they MEET GOD FOR THEMSELVES (person to person) they will not know Him nor believe in Him. **not a quote – only my comprehensive summary**

And so I pray and encourage everyone, before the final moment written in God’s book comes along, seek God for yourself. Ask, Seek and Knock before you decide.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13)

God is not afraid to meet you face to face, nor will He withhold the truth from you in order to “make” you believe. He will not sugar coat or lie or hide from you. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!  FREE to chose.

We have a lot of opinions and a lot of personal beliefs. We boast that we KNOW everything we NEED TO KNOW. If that is so, I challenge you to do as God challenged Job (who believed completely in God but was sure he could have changed God’s mind about Job being allowed to suffer – don’t we all think that?).

Then the Lord  answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!  Job 38:1-3

Just a warning, if you are speaking.to.God, you may want to be sure you KNOW what you are talking about… but none the less, if you are going to talk crap, gird up your loins and get ready to answer God’s questions.

After all is said and done you may just find what Job found (and again he KNEW God before but fund out how little he knew). Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6

What are the Odds?

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.