This is the beginning of our "Ask Me Anything" series in which kids submit questions about God & life that we will answer in class.
Why is it helpful to my faith to ask questions?
1. It helps us understand and appreciate the world
Ex: My experience at a winter camp once. We arrived after dark and there were no street lights or yard lights - totally dark. I couldn't see my way to the bunks and I thought the camp was really lame. The next day, when the sun shone on it, I realized the full picture - what a great camp it was.
The more we know and can see things the way God sees them, the better our decisions will be.
"Wisdom" - comes from having more & better information.
God is perfectly wise - like a man sitting on a steeple or tower high above a parade.
Solomon knew to ask the Lord for wisdom - to make better decisions
Example of wisdom applied to a question:
"Is it ok for me to have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" God knows who you're going to marry one day, and it's almost always not the person you like when you're young! His better knowledge helps us make a decision.
"Can I be friends with someone who's different from me?" (different likes, disabled, etc.) Once you get to know someone and know their story, it's much easier to be their friend (yes, you can be friends with someone who's different!)
The bottom line: Sometimes a little more info helps us make a better decision
2. Understanding God helps us trust him better
Example: In the game, you guessed what items were in bags. If you knew what it was used for, that was a clue as to what it was. With God, we use "like" statements even though that never exactly describes what God is or what he does. We can never know exactly what God is like this side of heaven...1 Corinthians 13 says that now we see "through a glass darkly", or a poor reflection, but one day we will see God face to face.
Wrong beliefs about God cause us to act wrongly towards him
Example: "Candle wax" to eat - it was really caramel & taffy
When you expected it to be wax, you didn't want it; when you expected candy, you really wanted it. The Bible says God is good and every perfect gift comes from him, and he is not the maker of evil. If we don't know that, we might blame God for bad things or expect wrong things from him.
If you believe...
...that God only cares if you show up for church, but not how you live the rest of your life - you will be inconsistent - Jesus will never live out his life in you, and you will not grow.
...that God will not forgive anyone completely - you will then believe that no one can be sure of their salvation, and you will likely live your life nervous of God rather than joyfully and thankfully.
...that Satan is everywhere - you may believe that Satan has more power than he does, when in reality Satan can't be everywhere and Christ's victory over him is already assured.
One more thing...Does asking questions mean my faith is weak?
There is "simple" faith and "brainiac" faith - and either one is ok! Some people are satisfied with answers the first time they hear them. Others need to ask lots of questions to understand.
The point is not merely knowing the right answers, the point is whether you put what you believe into practice.
So, faith is like a chair - we're not really exercising faith until we sit in it and make our decisions because of it. God desires us to have confident faith (belief put into action), not a hesitant faith (no action from the belief).
Do you sit in your chair confidently, or hesitantly?
