[Biblemat] A) THERE ARE NO BARBERS

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Friday morn-
ing to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.  Here
is an article from my recent files:

THERE ARE NO BARBERS

     A man visited his barber.  As always, they struck up a con-
versation.  As they talked, the discussion turned to religious
matters.

     The barber finally said, "I just don't believe in all that God
nonsense.  I'll prove it to you.  Look outside.  If God were real-
ly out there, would there be so many broken homes and abandoned children?  If 
God were really out there, would there beso many people starving?  If God 
were really out there, would there be so many people in pain and suffering?
Nope.  I say God doesn't exist.  If He did, He would do some-
thing about all this.

     The customer wasn't sure how to respond and sat there
quietly.  The barber finished and the man walked out.  On the
sidewalk, he saw a man with ragged long hair.  He came back
to the barber and said, "Barbers don't exist."

     "But here I am to prove it."

     "No, barbers don't exist.  Look outside.  If barbers were
really there, would there be people with such long ragged hair?"

     The barber replied, "Well, I exist, but not everyone comes
to see me.  That is why there are people with long, ragged
hair."

     "Exactly," the Christian responded.  "The same is true with God.  He 
exists, but not everyone will come to Him.  That
is why there is so much sin, suffering and pain."

     There was a time when no one suffered any pain.  No one
got sick.  No one hurt.  But then a serpent entered the garden
and sin entered the world (Gen. 3).  Since tht time, Satan has
continued his inluential work.  People have turned their backs
on God, have committed sin and we have a world of suffering
because of it.

     Does suffering mean our God doesn't exist?  Or does it
merely mean everyone hasn't turned to the loving God.

     Sadly, because our world is so governed by sin, even when a few of us do 
turn to God, we still suffer.  Sometimes
we suffer because we turned to God (2 Tim. 3:12).  However,
a time is coming when those who turned to God and still suff-
ered will suffer no longer.

     In that time, we will learn that all the suffering was worth
it because the glory tht will be revealed to us and through us
will be worth it all (Rom. 8;18).  We will see God and we will be
with Him for eternity.  There we will be able to rejoice with ex-
ultation and glorify our God for eternity without fear of suffer-
ing.

     But to ever enjoy that comfort, that peace, that joy, we have to turn to 
God.  Have you turned to Him?  (Heb. 11:6).
-------- Edwin L. Crozier via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 23, June 10, 2007.   
</HTML>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20070706/b99c34d2/attachment-0001.html