We all want to believe in something beyond ourselves

Even Agent Fox Mulder in the X Files verbalized what most people feel inside, "I want to believe." It is amazing what people 'want' to believe when it comes down to facing life and death issues. We hope something is out there. We can't reconcile that when a friend or loved one dies, that all they had been, their accomplishments, their sacrifice, their love for others, becomes meaningless when the body dies. It is harder to believe that the rich character that once was that husband, father, friend or neighbor ceases to exist when the body dies.

We want to believe that somehow life goes on. There are those who absolutely deny that anything exists beyond this physical life and when the body dies, it turns to dust and is meaningless. There are a handful that live this way. Only a few live it to the point of denying the power of love, the mystery of science or that hate can turn a person into a killing machine. Many atheists limit their denial to disbelief in a god, while they recognize goodness, kindness and sacrifice.

Richard Dawkins, the famous leading atheist recently surprised many when he "...admitted that he cannot be 100% certain that no God exists." We do want to believe in something more. It is surprising that many people today have such a confusing mixture of what that might be. Some try to contact the dead, believe that dead people's spirits roam around the earth trying to be freed from some unfinished business. Others believe that those who died return as something less than human.

All of us will face death one day. We want to know what's out there. Where will we go? Should I be afraid of life beyond the grave? Some of the most reliable manuscripts in history are filled with answers to life beyond the grave. It's worth taking a look to see what they have to say about your life and what happens when you will die. These manuscripts are a compilation of 66 books, written by a host of different writers from different centuries and cultures; but they all point to the same truths. They point to One God and One Savior, Jesus Christ. He gives the purpose for your life and releases you from the curse of sin and death.

Recently, a scientist, a brilliant neurosurgeon said to me, "As a scientist, I absolutely believe in God. I believe Jesus is the revelation of God to our world. When Darwin wrote his book on Origins, we hadn't discovered that there was a molecular universe hidden from the naked eye. It was there, we just hadn't discovered it yet." He said, "The more I study the world around me, the more I believe."

So, get a Bible, open it to the book of John and start reading in the first chapter. You'll be amazed at how clearly it tells us about ourselves, about God, death and life eternally. It will take the confusion out and banish fear of death. You won't need to believe that your pet cat is your deceased aunt or waste your money at some psychic shop in town. Furthermore, you'll find a peace that passes understanding and a friend in Jesus Christ that will be closer than any friend you've ever known. Your future will be absolutely certain.

A hunch that something's missing

WHAT’S MISSING

We have a hunger that’s never quite satisfied; a thirst that leaves us parched. We can’t buy it, consume it, experience it, but it lingers deep inside. Every person has a hunch that there is something greater than our self and it leaves us dissatisfied. No culture, political persuasion, power or wealth has been able to remedy this missing ingredient. The rich and poor alike are looking for the same thing.

Ecclesiastics 3:11 “God has placed eternity in our hearts.”

Every person has a hunch that there is more to life than meets the eye. We have an awareness that life is greater than the sum of our thoughts or desires; that Hope is bigger than a lucky break, purpose is not limited to this troublesome world. “And it is only in eternity that we will be able to discover what God has designed by the various works he has formed.”

Ecclesiastics 3:14 “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.”