Christ Now

In the first chapter of the book of Proverbs, we find a passage that underscores the importance of knowing God; we can read:
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

True wisdom comes through a knowledge of God, who will lead us to know and fear Him, to approach Him with reverence and awe and surrender our lives to Him.  The power of truth and the presence of the Holy Spirit enable us to stand strong against the power of sin and to walk in triumph through Jesus.  In Him, we can find the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and we can live in a manner that brings honor to His name and satisfaction to us.

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The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Colosse, expressing his desire to see them really know the Savior. He says in Colossians 2:
1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a former Muslim who grew up in Kenya, and became immersed in the ways of the Muslim Brotherhood as a child.  According to a recent CBN article, she has written that the organization "articulated a direction: the straight path. A purpose: to work towards admission into Allah’s paradise after death,” adding, “A method: the Prophet’s instruction manual of do’s and don’ts — the halal and the haram. As a detailed supplement to the Qur’an, the hadeeth spelled out how to put into practice the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, God and the devil.”

The legalism was suffocating, apparently - the article says that, "she was swept up into this ideology, believing she couldn’t befriend unbelievers and, in particular, was taught to develop a 'hatred' for Jewish people."  The "rules and regulations" drove her to consider become an atheist, which she did. 

CBN reported on her recent op-ed at the Unherd.com website; stating:

Ali opened the op-ed by recalling a 1927 lecture by Bertrand Russell titled “Why I am Not a Christian.” She said she discovered this lecture in 2002, just one year after she condemned the 9/11 terror attacks.

At the time, she was a non-practicing Muslim, but with so much chaos unfolding around her and with so many opinions about what was driving radical Islamic terror, Ali found herself slipping into skepticism.

“When I read Russell’s lecture, I found my cognitive dissonance easing,” she wrote. “It was a relief to adopt an attitude of scepticism towards religious doctrine, discard my faith in God, and declare that no such entity existed.”

Ali's piece was a declaration of her conversion to Christianity, called, "Why I Am Now a Christian."  The CBN article noted that she gave "several reasons for her embrace of faith, including recognizing the social benefits of Judeo-Christian values and the emotions she faced in a life devoid of the eternal."

She wrote that there were "three different but related forces" that are confronting Western civilization:

1) the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism

2) the rise of global Islamism, and

3) the viral spread of woke ideology.

The CBN article says:

Ultimately, Ali concluded the “only credible answer” can be found in “our desire to uphold the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition” — a tradition she said safeguards human freedom.

Beyond that, though, Ali’s conversion was also rooted in finding a missing heart link.

“I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive,” she wrote. “Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is yet another example of a person who has thoughtfully come into a knowledge of Jesus Christ - frustrated with the teachings of Islam and left empty by the godless vacuum of atheism, she searched for something real, something meaningful - and accepted Jesus as her Savior!  

The opportunity for the gospel to spread is so profound these days - Ms. Ali found that there was no "meaning or purpose," and has found that in Jesus.  The ways of this world do not offer hope; despair and disappointment abounds in a culture that is devoid of the reality of the one true God, who is discovered through the presence of the Holy Spirit, bringing a person into the saving knowledge of Christ.  As we embark on this Advent season, we - and those around us - can be drawn to know the One who can flood our lives with hope, peace, and joy.