We´ll never know God until . . .

Until we take a step of faith. We do that by exercising faith using the five senses – but that is human faith, not spiritual faith. For example:

A young man buys a shiny new motorbike. He looks at it, admires it, takes the handlebars and pushes it. He can do that forevermore - but until he learns to ride it he´ll never zoom along the highway feeling that cool breeze on his face. First he has to risk falling off a few times in the neighbourhood street.

Imagine a swimming pool on a hot day. A girl, a non-swimmer, looks at it thinking how refreshing and great it must be, not just to paddle at the kindergarten end, but to actually swim. Oh, to feel that cool water swirling around her, to have the freedom of lifting the feet from the pool floor. First, she has to get those feet out of the comfort zone. Of course, in the beginning she needs a teacher close by for safety. Yet the girl has to do the swimming. The teacher cannot swim for her.

Until the young man rides the bike and the girl learns to swim they will never know the joy. They have to step out and believe in themselves.

It´s like that with knowing God. We have to take a step of faith by believing God to enjoy His blessings. Many talk themselves out of the blessings by constantly bringing up a host of reasons why they won´t believe. Yet if they were to believe, they would see God´s influence on their life, which they thought could not exist. The divine order is believe first – then see.

What remorse people will have when they leave this world and are confronted with the lake of fire (reserved for non-believers, Revelation 20:15) which they never believed in.

If we believe anything it should be God´s word. It is all there in the Bible for us to read.

Imagine being in a burning house, barely conscious. The old guy next door sees the flames. He sends his muscular son, who goes through the fire and smoke to get you out. You gasp: "No thanks, I´ll be all right." What an insult to the rescuer.

Every day people are insulting God like that. He sent Jesus to rescue us, to suffer on a cross for us, to get us out of that lake of fire, but people say "no thanks."

Folks say "show me God," but if He were standing in their lounge-room there´d be no need for faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, the Bible says. That gives the lie to those who think their good works alone will get them into heaven.

On a personal level: think about it. If your good deeds could make you acceptable to God, Jesus´ agony on the cross would have been unnecessary. Jesus says no-one comes to the Father except through Him.

Like the young man with the bike, the girl at the pool, will you step out in faith today?