Reflections on God … Man … Life
Reflections on living as a disciple of Christ.
Jesus related the following parable to His disciples: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. In my last post, I noted that Christians are to be sowing the seeds of God’s principles. As we sow, people respond differently to the truths we are sharing. Some people are so closed off against the truth, the principles/seeds… Read more »
We sow seeds in the natural, but we do the same spiritually. A dictionary definition of the word “sow” points to the natural side when it says: To scatter seed in the ground for the purpose of growth. What is “seed?” Again, according to the dictionary: That from which anything springs. But then it moves the definition from the natural to the spiritual, when it adds this one word: PRINCIPLES. Christians, therefore, should be about the business of sowing principles… Read more »
We awake this morning to the news that North Korea has shot off two new missiles. This follows the nuclear test it conducted just a few days ago. This is a rogue state, “led” by a egotist fueled by communist ideology. Then we have Iran. We always have Iran. Not only has this Islamic nation’s leader denied the Holocaust ever took place, he has repeatedly stated his desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. The Iranian government… Read more »
I honestly believe that many Christians who disagree with my political views have good hearts. They think they are doing God’s will. I’ve noticed that one of the motives for those who support liberal politicians is their desire to help the poor. They have faith, so to speak, in the government programs that aim to bring people out of poverty. This is a grave mistake. It’s one thing to have good intentions—God will look at the heart and realize that… Read more »
Yesterday was a national day of prayer. One bit of news from yesterday was that President Obama declined to participate in the annual prayer breakfast. While that may be disconcerting because it breaks tradition and sends a signal that he doesn’t consider it that important, I am not as disturbed by it as you might think. Bill Clinton made a show of always appearing at such events. I also remember how each Sunday he provided a photo op coming out… Read more »
The Bible is replete with examples of godly character. I’m particularly drawn to those examples that show a person maintaining godly character while serving in public office. For instance, when the prophet Samuel steps down as judge over Israel, he challenges the people by stating, “Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose… Read more »
The central Christian character trait that must be present in our lives is love. Of course it needs to be defined. Love is not a feeling. I prefer the definition given by Charles Finney: It has been shown that the sum and spirit of the whole law is properly expressed in one word—love. It has also been shown that this love is benevolence or good willing; that it consists in choosing the highest good of God and of universal being,… Read more »