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Showing posts from November, 2013

A Spiritual Life

            I do not know anyone who wants to just go to church.   Church services, even the very best of them, are not really worth our time if they are not accompanied by life-changing faith.             The question, though, is “How do we find that ‘deeper faith’?”               In 1 Chronicles 28, King David gives his son Solomon some advice as he prepares to pass on both his kingdom and his faith.   Maybe these thoughts will help us.             "So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you” (verses 8-

Unknowing Ambassadors

            Sometimes the simplest phrases say a lot.   One such phrase is embedded in the following paragraph.             “For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever” (2 Corinthians 7:5-7).             The part to notice:   “But God… comforted us by the coming of Titus”.                It was “God” who comforted Paul, but notice how he did this:   He sent Titus!             Now I have no idea whether Titus knew that he was doing God’s work when he went to find Paul.   I have no idea if God told him to go, or if he just decided that he needed to see his friend.   I do know this, though, his arrival made all the difference in the

What Kind of God do you Believe In?

            “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).             Faith comes in two forms; an easier one and a harder one.             The easier form of faith is to “believe that he (God) exists”.   This is “easier” for two reasons.   First, I can see some things that help me believe.   For example, take a few minutes and look at the starry sky tonight and ask yourself, “Do I really believe that all those stars and all those galaxies (not to mention all the ones I cannot see, do not know about and the ones that we have not even discovered yet) came about by some weird, strange and really good accident?”   Think about that long enough and you may come to the conclusion that it more reasonable to believe in a God who created all these things.   Or, hold a baby and think about the systems of the body and how they work.   Do some reading abou