Here is a riddle for you: What is the most common kind of pie? Perhaps some of you quickly answer, “Apple pie!” as you remember the sweet, spicy smell coming up through the little slits in the crust as it comes out of the oven. But remember that this paper is being read by many in the far north or in Africa and India who have never tasted apple pie.
Guess again.
There is one kind of pie that is the most common and the most useful in the whole world. It is spelled pi, and when we write its symbol, it looks like this: . This pi is the relationship between the distance across a circle and the distance around it.
There is one very strange thing about this pi. God lets us use it every day, but only God knows exactly what it is. See that jar lid or penny or bowl or ring? What is the number that gives us the relationship between the distance across it and the distance around it? Perhaps you say, “3.14.” Well, that’s partially correct, but it’s only an approximate answer. Someone else might remember a few more decimal places and say, “3.1415926,” and while this is a little more accurate, it is still only an approximate answer. You could keep adding numbers to the right of the decimal point all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and never find the exact answer. God planned it that way.
Isn’t it wonderful to have a God whose understanding is way beyond ours? This is what we mean when we say, “God’s understanding is infinite.” Infinite means endless. And we can fully trust our God who has infinite love, understanding and wisdom.
In His infinite love, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to be our Saviour. When He was on the cross, He took on Himself the sins of all who trust in Him and endured the punishment for those sins in the hours of darkness until He could say, “It is finished.”
After that, He died. He gave up His own breath in a way that none of us could do. (Just try to stop breathing and see if you can!) There is no question that the Saviour of sinners is the eternal Son of the eternal God!
You and I have only as much understanding as He gives us. A woodpecker who hammers a nest-hole in a tree trunk can probably make a much better circle than you or I can, although the woodpecker never heard of pi. Many of us can make use of this strange but wonderful pi in drawing, planning and building, but none of us can find its true value. The circle is a strange mystery. Like eternity, it has no beginning or ending. Our God is the God who possesses eternity, and whether you like it or not, your eternity is in His hands.
Is He your Saviour now? Then those loving hands are ready to welcome you to eternity in heaven, because Jesus died for you. If He is not your Saviour, He makes it very plain that you are facing eternity in hell. “He that [believes] on the Son [has] everlasting life: and he that [believes] not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God [abides] on him” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)).
Why not make that decision right now to spend your eternity in heaven? “He that [hears] My word, and [believes] on Him that sent Me, [has] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).
The glen was a place where a small creek flowed between the hills near where I lived. As a boy I loved to go there, either by myself or with a friend. We would slide down the steep bank, holding on to roots or small trees to keep ourselves from falling into the creek. In the spring after a rain, the creek would be full and running fast, but in the summer, parts of the creek would dry up completely.
There is no end to the fun a creek can provide for children. One of the best things we did was to find a fallen tree across the creek and then try to walk across it without falling in. Another was to cross the creek, stepping from stone to stone without getting wet. Every bend of the creek was different. At some places there were waterfalls. At other places there were quiet pools of water that had minnows in them and fast-moving water bugs that skimmed across the surface of the water. We found salamanders hidden under the rocks that were everywhere along the streambed. We also found animal tracks where deer came to drink and raccoons came to wash their food.
Who designed this beautiful playground? God did! It tells us in the Bible that “He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and His eye seeth every precious thing” (Job 28:1010He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. (Job 28:10)). Even though sin has left its awful marks on God’s wonderful creation, we can still see enough beauty to know that He is a mighty and wonderful God. And when we remember that we ourselves are part of His creation, then we remember that we are accountable to Him. God has not only given us all of creation to enjoy, but He has also given us His Word, the Bible, that we might know Him - as the Creator and also as a loving Father.
ML-02/28/1999