[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Jul/2023]
Very recently someone cautioned me, “You can’t trust your feelings. The only reliable truth is found in the Bible!”
I hadn’t been expressing a ‘feeling’. I’d been exploring something very important: I’d just had what I thought was a Holy Spirit inspired insight into the question of life beyond death. And I was quite sure I’d found scriptural support for my understanding. Very quickly my friend spoke the words above.
What do you make of this? A good friend of mine is right now at death’s door. He has vehemently protested throughout almost all of his very long life that he can’t believe in God. As my wife and I visited him in hospital yesterday, I recalled a vivid picture I’ve had several times: a child, on his dad’s lap, is punching his father in the chest. “I hate you! I HATE you!” The father just hugs him closer and closer until finally, utterly exhausted, the boy sobs and flings his arms around his dad’s neck.
That picture settled for me, any unease I’d been feeling about my old friend’s ‘eternal destiny’. Certainly many scripture passages could be found that might unsettle my peace of mind. Or can I trust what I sensed was God’s word to me through a powerful ‘Holy Spirit picture’?
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Last week’s reflection: Doctrine v Love by Chris Ginter
Contributed by Dennis Ginter; © Dennis Ginter