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May 08 2011
THE FLOOD
The thought of God as Judge is difficult for us. We can accept that he grieved, and that his heart was filled with pain, but that his suffering resulted in the Flood is a challenge to our understanding. How is God present in this natural disaster? This is a question prompted recently by the earthquakes and tsunamis around the Pacific rim, and the tornadoes in the South. The view of the Bible is that God can command the creation to do his bidding.
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May 03 2011
God is at work with the power that raised the dead
And I was fine through it all. I find that remarkable because I am not in the least a brave man. I got through it, thanks to doctors, nurses, hospital staff, people I love and that love me, even those I don't know and their prayers. Still, there was a point at which I felt alone, except for the knowledge that God, seemingly silent at the time, was with me. I think most of us, if we have lived at all, have faced trials and challenges, tribulations.
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April 29 2011
THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT
First, Adam and Eve hide from God. They, who formerly walked with God as a friend and companion, are now afraid of him. They feel themselves naked, ashamed. There is a consciousness of guilt for falling short of the glory God had intended for them, and going against his will. Here is the birth of self-consciousness. We, humans, can reflect upon ourselves. We can ponder events in our hearts. We have consciences that accuse us. We put a distance between ourselves and God.
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April 21 2011
JESUS IS VICTOR
She was traveling the world sharing the good news of the love of God in Jesus. She was not bitter about her experiences, but grateful for all God had done for her. After she spoke I bought one of her books and she autographed it for me. Before her signature she wrote "Jesus is Victor". Then she asked me a question that changed the course of my life: "Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?"
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April 15 2011
THE LOVE TRANSFER
Think about it. If you love a person whose life is all put together and has no major needs, it costs you nothing. It's delightful. There are probably four or five people like that where you live. You ought to find them and become their friend. But if you ever try to love somebody who has needs, someone who is in trouble or who is persecuted or emotionally wounded, it's going to cost you. You can't love them without taking a hit yourself.
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April 13 2011
The Palm Sunday Mistake
For you see, they had made the Messiah over in their own image. They had their own selfish definition of what it meant to be their Savior-Messiah-King. There was no true trust or submission. They wanted Him to be something and to do things which would make their own lives easier, right now. They wanted the Romans kicked out of Palestine; in this, who could blame them? They wanted the independent national sovereignty of Israel returned to them.
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April 01 2011
WALKING WITH GOD - Ted Schroder
The genealogy lists each generation, the years of their lives and their eventual death. "So and so lived so many years, and then he died." We know nothing of their character or accomplishments except for one - Enoch.
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March 31 2011
Faithful and just to forgive
The first question is, "faithful" to what or to whom?" The answer might truly astonish us, if we have never considered before the full implications of words by Saint Paul, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."1 God is faithful to God, God is faithful to Man, and God is faithful to His own promise.
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March 28 2011
EARTHQUAKES AND SALVATION
When fault lines rupture, the stress is dislocated and spreads out to other faults, which pose varying risks of also splitting and producing more earthquakes. The shallower the hypocenter - the location beneath the earth - the greater the impact. In Christchurch there was a 17km-long rupture along the fault plane on a very steep angle, beginning at a depth of 3km and ending 12 km underground. There were buried and unrecognized faults in Canterbury.
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March 16 2011
CAIN AND ABEL
The trouble begins with Cain's relationship with the Lord. Cain brings some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord, while Abel brings the best of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord accepts Abel's offering but not Cain's. Why? Because, "by faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings." (Hebrews 11:4) That means that Cain's offering was inferior, it was token, it was unworthy.
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