Reflections on God … Man … Life
What are the general truths that should guide our thinking in all areas of life? Here are some possibilities.
Whenever Charles Finney writes about prayer, we should listen attentively. He knew what he was writing about, not as theory but from practice. And always with Finney, the motive of the heart is central. Here’s how he connects the two in his Revival Lectures: Prayer, to be effectual, must be offered from right motives. Prayer should not be selfish, but should be dictated by a supreme regard for the glory of God. A great deal is offered from pure selfishness…. Read more »
Writing to his friend Arthur Greeves in 1933, C. S. Lewis offered these thoughts on the nature of good and evil: I think one may be quite rid of the old haunting suspicion—which raises its head in every temptation—that there is something else than God—some other country . . . into which He forbids us to trespass—some kind of delight wh. He “doesn’t appreciate” or just chooses to forbid, but which wd. be real delight if only we were allowed… Read more »
Why does God do what He does? Is He aiming at something in all His actions? Is there a “good” at the end of His actions or is whatever He wills “good”? While this may sound rather picky, it does affect our view of God’s character. Charles Finney believes, God’s ultimate end, in all He does, or omits, is the highest well-being of Himself, and of the universe, and in all His acts and dispensations, His ultimate object is the… Read more »
Life lived outside of the will of God is not really life at all. That’s something I’ve learned from experience. C. S. Lewis, in a pithy comment in his science fiction book Perelandra, puts it this way: “To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere.” That goes beyond truth; would it be permissible to call it “true truth”? Christians should always be examining themselves to ensure they are not wandering around in “nowhere” territory. One of the… Read more »
A lot of people don’t mind the idea of a god of some kind; they just don’t want him/it/whatever to be too personal or make any demands. Avoiding accountability for one’s actions is a very human trait, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. C. S. Lewis touched on this issue in his book Miracles: Men are reluctant to pass over from the notion of an abstract and negative deity to the living God. I do not wonder. Here… Read more »
So here we are: October 1, and the government is in limbo with its funding. The way it’s being portrayed, we’re in sight of the end of the world. Well, I’m not of that opinion. I have it on very good authority that the end will look something like this: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. …. Read more »
Our outward actions are extremely important, but when the Lord looks at those actions, He goes deeper and sees the intent of the heart. Sometimes, the outward actions of two individuals may be exactly the same, but the intent of the heart completely different. One may be honoring God by his actions while someone else doing the very same thing may be sinning. Here’s how Charles Finney explains it further: A student labors to get wages, to purchase books, to… Read more »