Not Cast Away

Last night I watched an interesting foreign film called "Castaway on the Moon," a Korean twist on the movie "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks.  The basic plot is after a failed suicide attempt, a floundering businessman ends up on a island in the middle of a metropolitan area.  Unable to swim or successfully call for help, he begins to embrace his simple lifestyle of foraging for food and supplies.  No longer wanting off the island, he wrote "Hello" on a sandy beach.  Unknown to him, his message caught the eye of a solitary woman who lived in the city.  After watching and photographing the "alien" man for a while, the woman decided to contact this man with a simple message in a bottle:  "Hello."  Over the next months they would trade messages back and forth, writing on the beach or sending messages in a bottle.

The discovery of someone who cared enough to write personal messages in a bottle for him to find caused the man to grow increasingly curious.  He wrote on the beach, "Who are you?"  This is a natural response.  When I see the order of the universe and the beauty of this world, when I consider the message of the Bible as a letter introducing all people to the living God who created all and loves us, I am brought to the same point as the solitary man on the beach:  "Who are you?"  God wants to be known, and He has revealed Himself to man in the person of Jesus Christ.  God the Father is an eternal, holy, and unapproachable Spirit who consumes all sin as fire does dry chaff.  By His grace He revealed Himself in the fashion of a man so we might see His love practically demonstrated and love Him back.

Knowing God is a prime purpose in our lives as human beings.  It is only through knowing God we can begin a new life of discovery, comfort, joy, and wisdom.  David knew this.  More critical than serving God is knowing Him.  It is only through knowing God we discover how to please God.  His words are recorded in 1 Chronicles 28:9:  "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."  Did you see the first phrase?  "Know the God of your father."  We can know God because He has made Himself known by His grace.  Once we know God intimately through receiving the Gospel by faith, we can serve Him with a loyal heart and a willing mind.  All who seek Him will be found by Him, when we seek Him with our whole hearts.  Forsake Him and there will be severe consequences.

God has not left us marooned on some rock without any means to communicate with Him.  God has made a way through faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit who teaches, comforts, and helps us.  There is no great distance for us to span, for the Holy Spirit dwells inside each person who has confessed their sins, repented, and trusted in Jesus as LORD and Saviour.  Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us so where He is we can be also forever.  Jesus will not reject any who seek Him, for He said in John 6:37, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."  How wondrous this is, that we can know God!  Do you want to know Him?  How far will you go to know Him just a little more today?