The technology that enables you to zoom in from outer space to any country, city or specific address.  It makes you think how God must view Earth.  But He can zoom right in through the front door.  More importantly, He can zoom right into your heart.

I just recently tried Google Earth again.  The photos are several years old.  I’m sure the day will come when we will be seeing live images, even video, like satellite webcams.  God’s video may be a review of our lives, allowing us to Monday morning quarterback how we addressed major events, or even daily dilemmas.

But, you know, we don’t have to have to wait to review our life story with God. We can do it now.

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“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for.”  Proverbs 16:6

This is so much better than having to kill an animal, or even the innocent Son of God.  It’s in the Bible, right?  So, doesn’t it have to be true?  Am I picking and choosing verses I like?  Maybe.  But, let me be clear.  I am choosing based upon rational thought and understanding.  I believe the Holy Spirit is leading me in that.

Am I rejecting verses that don’t make sense?  No.  I’m merely holding them up in question, in the hope that one day they will make sense.  By not choosing the obscure verses, am I rejecting Christ? Absolutely not.  I am open to His leading.  I am not prepared to accept any teaching that doesn’t make sense. Perhaps that is based upon my sinful condition, because of my lack of “faith,” but I don’t think so.

Again, I have asked God to show me the way.  I honestly don’t think that I will get the Vacation to Hell prize for wrong answers.  Discipline?  Yes.  Hell?  No, at least not the burning torture for ever and ever thing, with no hope.

Love and faithfulness.  Now that makes sense.

I don’t mean, Does God inflict pain on anyone?  I mean, Does God feel pain?  My Sunday school class was discussing it the other day, and the teacher commented that when we sin as believers, it hurts God.  It got me to thinking.  The Biblical writers are free to project onto the Almighty human characteristics, like love, anger, hurt, and compassion.  They always leave out fear.  But, seriously, who or what could God be afraid of?

Biblical scholars, preachers, teachers and lay leaders all say that God can feel these emotions because we are made in His image.  But don’t we feel those things simply because we’re human?  I can see God loving us, even having compassion.  But can He really be hurt?  If you are hurt, it is usually because someone has exercised unwanted control over you, by word or deed.  Who could exercise such control over God?

And what about God’s wrath, or anger?  Is it a controlled anger?  Is He frustrated because He gave us freewill?  Can He get mad, since He is the one who has created us and knows ahead of time what we are going to do?

Jesus wept.  (John 11:35)  The shortest verse in the Bible.  Why did He weep? Was it His human side that identified with how death affects humans?  And what about His anguish in the garden before His own death?  Do we identify with Father and Son better if they display human characteristics?

I want a God who will never have the opportunity to “lose it” because of anger or grief.  He is my Rock and my Fortress.  Rocks and fortresses don’t cry.

How much do we really know about God?

It’s all about how you get along with others.  Is your wife getting on your nerves?  Is your husband SO not the same man that you married?  Are the kids out of control?  How about the neighbors?

Unless you’re a hermit, completely cut off from society, then you rarely go through a day without encountering at least one other human being.  You will interact with this person by your words, looks, body language, touch or even silence.  They will receive that communication, process it (often quickly) and generate a response.  Then it’s your turn.  Then theirs.  And so it goes.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of these events will occur in a single day.

Most of the time we will go through them without giving them a second thought.  Sometimes they evoke a feeling of love, joy or sympathy.  At other times tension will prevail due to anger or hurt.  This is the makeup of life.  It’s a major part of what separates us from the animals.  Do you ever give thought to how someone is perceiving you?  Have you ever changed your approach?  If so, why?

The Bible tells us to care for others more than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  How do you do that?  Aren’t we put here to correct others?  What if we’re not appreciated for what we do?  Jesus was a great example of caring for others, but he was perfect.  Can we be expected to do the same?

With our technological advances in communication we are able to witness even greater misery throughout our world.  We can pipe into our homes graphic images of man’s inhumanity to man.  It makes us feel helpless.  Wouldn’t it be better to not know about it?

Maybe the answer is to not be overwhelmed at the big picture.  Jesus said that we have enough to be concerned about in our immediate environment (Matthew 6:34).  Is that good enough?  Or is it just a start?

I’m sure it’s true what they say about men.  They won’t ask for directions (I’m not lost), and they won’t ask for help (I’ve got this).  Are men worse than women in both categories, or just the directions part?  I think at some point or another we all tend to not want to ask for information, directions or assistance. Is that a pride thing?

It could be that we’re embarrassed to have the other person find out that we don’t know the answer. And we don’t want someone else to appear more skilled at anything than ourselves.  Of course there are those who will constantly ask for help to either get out of doing it themselves, or they’re too lazy to want to learn how to do it.

But isn’t asking for help, in a way, blessing the helper?  Haven’t you ever felt good after helping someone with a problem?  I admit, though, that there a few who have a sort of smugness about them when they realize that you are indebted to them, so to speak.  But that’s no reason to refuse to ask for any help.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would help you. (John 14:16)  Now, while He represents the mind of God, I doubt if He gets involved in helping you with that plumbing problem, or show you how to get to Poughkeepsie.  What He will help you with is how to sort out the meaning of life.  His office is open 24/7 for counseling, encouragement, comfort and even warning.

Can the Holy Spirit help you with your pride, which prompts you to shun help?  Have you asked?  Praying out loud is optional.