 Major conflicts or contradictions in life can lead us to search for God. In Exodus 3:1-14, Moses saw a bush on fire that didn’t burn up. That unexplainable event attracted Moses away from tending his flock and brought him to God.
A disrupting event in our life can turn us away from our normal path. Some examples include the bishop’s reaction to Jean stealing his stuff in Les Miserables; being unable to graduate due to flunking a class we thought we knew well; and feeling deeply lost after getting what our hearts intensely desire. When Moses walked over to the burning bush, God called to him, “Moses! Moses!” In the Bible, the doubling of a word implies emphasis, and doubling a proper name conveys emotional intensity. God wanted to be closer to Moses, yet His holiness forbad Him. From a distance, God told Moses He would rescue the Israelites through Moses (v8, 10). Similarly, God wants to be closer to us, but His holiness forbids Him to be close to sinful humans. So, through Christ, God came down to save us. Christianity has a lot of contradictions that are beyond our understanding. For example, many things in life seem to be predetermined, but we also have free will. Christ’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount demand perfection, yet Christ is extremely merciful and loving. He sacrificed Himself on the cross, taking our place to be consumed by the wrath of God the Father. It is difficult for us to understand how we, as sinners, could be filled with Christ’s righteousness, beauty, and glory, or how our God can be both full of love and truth, mercy and holiness. God could be using contradictions to lead us to Him. Keep exploring, and God will reveal Himself to you. Summary of a sermon by Tim Keller, titled, “The Search for God” https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/the-search-for-god-6554/ 神如何喚醒我们? 生命中的重大冲突或矛盾可能带领我们去寻找上帝。在出埃及记3：1-14，摩西看见一棵在火中却没有燃烧的丛树。这个難以置信的事情吸引摩西离开了他照料中的羊群，将他带到上帝面前。 在生活中一些打破日常平静的事件可能使我们转离日常的轨迹。例如在悲惨世界中，主教如何应对窃取他的东西的冉阿让; 又如因为考试不及格而不能毕业，但考的一科却是自己以为很有把握的课程; 亦或是终於得到心中强烈渴望的东西之后的心灵空虚和失落。 摩西走向燃烧着的丛树时，上帝呼唤他，“摩西！摩西！” 在圣经中重复一个单词表示强调，重复一个名称代表强烈的情感。上帝想要更接近摩西，然而祂的圣洁禁止祂前往。上帝从远处告诉摩西祂将用他来拯救以色列人（出埃及记3：8, 10）。 同样，上帝希望更接近我们，但祂的圣洁禁止祂接近罪人。所以，上帝通过基督降临拯救我们。 基督教有许多表面看似矛盾而超出我们理解的地方。例如生活中的许多事情似乎是预先确定的，但我们也有自由的选择；又如基督的教导非常严格，像在登山宝训中的完美要求，然而祂又非常怜悯慈爱, 为我们在十字架上牺牲, 取代我们的位置被父神的忿怒惩治。 我们作为罪人很难理解自己如何可以充满基督的公义, 美丽和荣耀。或者上帝如何可以同时充满爱与真理、怜悯与圣洁。 上帝可能会在用表面的矛盾来吸引我们。继续探索寻求祂，上帝会向我们显示祂自己。
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