Sometimes I catch myself worrying . . . about the future of our country and how it could affect the lives of our children. Or about the possibility of unforeseen tragedy . . accidents . . . diseases . . . unexpected poverty.
Or, on the other hand, I may harbor guilty thoughts, knowing that I have so much in the way of relationship and material blessings while others around the world are needy and hungry. Feeling ashamed to enjoy the things I possess. Wondering if I should give it all away. . .
Can you identify at all with those thoughts?
When I get in a mood like that, I remind myself of an illustration God put in my mind a while ago.
Suppose . . . just for a moment . . . that I decide to give my precious grandson, Big C, a bright, red, shiny, new toy fire engine. I imagine myself wrapping the gift carefully in colorful paper with red, blue and yellow balloons. My thoughts jump ahead to images of him playing contentedly with the new truck for hours at a time, racing the vehicle to imaginery fires, sharing it with his younger brother, little c, maybe even going to sleep with it on the floor next to his bed.
On his birthday, I hand Big C the package with as much excitement in my own heart as he must feel in his young heart. I watch eagerly as he tears the wrapping off and see his eyes light up . . . no, his whole face light up . . . at the pleasurable sight.
"Thank you, Grandma!" He gives me a big hug and immediately runs off to play with his new toy, little c following closely behind.
I sit contentedly, recording the moment in my mind's journal, when Big C suddenly appears, standing quietly before me, puts down the truck, and with dejected shoulders, turns to walk away.
"Wait a minute, Big C," I call him back. He turns and looks at me despondently, tears running down his cheeks. "What is wrong, sweetie? Did your fire engine break?"
"Oh, no, Grandma," he answers. "I love the truck. It's the nicest one I've ever had!"
"Then why did you stop playing with it?"
"I'm afraid."
"Afraid?" Puzzlement clouds my face. "Why?"
"Well," he hesitates, then spills out his fears. "Maybe someday I will lose it or break it. Or somebody will take it away from me and then I won't have it any more.
"Or I'm thinking maybe I should give it to Jason, the boy down the street who doesn't have a firetruck. If I don't play with it, I won't miss it so much when he gets it."
"Come here," I pat the seat next to me. He sits, and I wrap my arm around him. "None of us knows what will happen tomorrow or the next day. But I chose that fire truck especially for you, and I want you to enjoy it! I am happy when you are generous and share and give to others. It pleased me when you gave some of your allowance money to the poor children downtown. But this gift was intended just for you, and it will give me happiness to see how much you enjoy it. Please don't worry about what could happen to it, or feel guilty that you got it instead of Jason, and have fun with it today."
"OK, Grandma," he smiles again, reaches for the truck and says, "I'm going to bring it over to Jason's house and let him play fireman with me!"
Obviously, God doesn't want me to put material things above my desire for Him and I believe He is delighted when I give to others and share my possessions. But I also know He doesn't want me to worry that people or things will be taken away from me! God wants me to rest in Him and enjoy the wonderful gifts He gives me now.
Maybe in the future, I'll have less, but I can't let an unknown future spoil a known present. The pleasant things God gives us truly are special gifts from Him, chosen for His beloved children, to be relished with joy and thanksgiving! And the greater truth is that all I really need to be joyful is Him!
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4 This statement was written by the apostle Paul when he was in prison, which only affirms that all we need is Jesus to live in a state of joy!
Job said "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." Job 2:21
Whatever God does is always for the best because He has proven His love for me when He let His Son, Jesus, died in my place on the cross.
So when I sigh with appreciation for my beautiful back yard view, pause to smell the fragrance of a lilac bloom or laugh with my family and friends, I believe that gives God pleasure. Pleasure that I show appreciation for His gifts and I am trusting Him to choose and provide for my needs and happiness, allowing Him to hold my future and the future of my loved ones in His capable and loving hands.
So Father God, please forgive me once again for giving into fears. Help me to relax and enjoy each wonderful day you have chosen just for me and leave the future up to You.
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Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
KEY #A12: LIGHT OF LIFE
Jesus is the Light of Life. That is what Christmas is all about! The Son of God came into this world, as both God and Man, to dispel the darkness of the evil one and provide a way for all humanity to discover true freedom.
I love the phrase in the old Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, that says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Him tonight." Isn't that so true? The full range of emotions that all humanity has experienced or ever will experience were laid on Jesus Christ. At Christmas, we celebrate God's gift of His only precious Son who temporarily left His throne in heaven so He could feel as we feel, suffer way beyond any sorrow we experience on this earth . . . in order to share His forever Kingdom with the ones He created and loves.
As I read through the December readings in my daily Bible (which is in chronological order, by the way, and so easy to understand!), I am amazed at how often the word "light" is used. I knew my topic this week would be on light, so I've been thinking about it. You know how it is when you have a certain thing in your mind, you see it everywhere? Like when I had my first baby, I was astounded to see that babies were nearly everywhere! I hadn't paid that much attention to them before I had one of my own.
Here are some examples just from recent daily readings:
"Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world . . . " John 8:12
"for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light" from Ephesians 5:8
"for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth" Ephesians 5:9 Had you noticed that before, the phrase "fruit of the light"? I am well acquainted with the "fruit of the Spirit" but "fruit of the light?" Is this an instance where "Spirit" and "Light" are used interchangeably? The Bible says Jesus is the "Light" and we know the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Jesus are One, so it makes sense!
Another verse, "but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," 2 Timothy 1:10
"But you are . . . a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9
Even from these few passages, we learn that Jesus Christ is the Light, and He gives light through the gospel. Believers are "His light" and expected to live in all goodness, righteousness and truth and to declare His praises!
It would be exciting to do a word study on "light" throughout the Bible. Hmmmmm. . . maybe later . . .
In one of my earlier blogs on Keys to Abundant Life, I talked about how each one of us travels to eternity in either the Kingdom of Darkness or the Kingdom of Light. It is Jesus Christ alone who has the power to rescue us from the dark land and transfer us to His kingdom of eternal peace and joy, through His sacrifice on the cross to pay for the sins of those who confess Him as Lord.
I did a short study of the scientific properties of light and listed them to show how Jesus Christ is a fulfillment of those aspects in the spiritual realm. This seems to be an appropriate time to share the "Light Chart":
PROPERTY OF LIGHT CHRIST AS OUR LIGHT
Causes plant growth Creates life and spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:6-7)
Enables one to see clearly Causes us to see God's truth (John 14:16-17, 26)
Produces energy (stored light) Gives us energy and strength (1 Peter 4:11)
Illuminates the darkness and
cannot be destroyed by it Has power over the darkness of evil (Ecc. 2:13)
Causes reflection so we can
see ourselves Causes us to see our true selves, our sin (Is. 6:1-5)
Can be absorbed by an object,
sharing energy and warmth We live, move and exist in Christ. (Acts 17:28)
Can cause chemical change
without changing itself Christ indwells believers, yet He does not change
and does not consume us. (Rom 8:11, Mal. 3:6,
2 Cor. 5:17)
This Christmas may each of you rejoice in the freedom God offers to belong to His Kingdom of Light, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and honor the Name of Jesus, the true and only source of Light in a world of darkness!
I love the phrase in the old Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, that says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Him tonight." Isn't that so true? The full range of emotions that all humanity has experienced or ever will experience were laid on Jesus Christ. At Christmas, we celebrate God's gift of His only precious Son who temporarily left His throne in heaven so He could feel as we feel, suffer way beyond any sorrow we experience on this earth . . . in order to share His forever Kingdom with the ones He created and loves.
As I read through the December readings in my daily Bible (which is in chronological order, by the way, and so easy to understand!), I am amazed at how often the word "light" is used. I knew my topic this week would be on light, so I've been thinking about it. You know how it is when you have a certain thing in your mind, you see it everywhere? Like when I had my first baby, I was astounded to see that babies were nearly everywhere! I hadn't paid that much attention to them before I had one of my own.
Here are some examples just from recent daily readings:
"Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world . . . " John 8:12
"for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light" from Ephesians 5:8
"for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth" Ephesians 5:9 Had you noticed that before, the phrase "fruit of the light"? I am well acquainted with the "fruit of the Spirit" but "fruit of the light?" Is this an instance where "Spirit" and "Light" are used interchangeably? The Bible says Jesus is the "Light" and we know the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Jesus are One, so it makes sense!
Another verse, "but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," 2 Timothy 1:10
"But you are . . . a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9
Even from these few passages, we learn that Jesus Christ is the Light, and He gives light through the gospel. Believers are "His light" and expected to live in all goodness, righteousness and truth and to declare His praises!
It would be exciting to do a word study on "light" throughout the Bible. Hmmmmm. . . maybe later . . .
In one of my earlier blogs on Keys to Abundant Life, I talked about how each one of us travels to eternity in either the Kingdom of Darkness or the Kingdom of Light. It is Jesus Christ alone who has the power to rescue us from the dark land and transfer us to His kingdom of eternal peace and joy, through His sacrifice on the cross to pay for the sins of those who confess Him as Lord.
I did a short study of the scientific properties of light and listed them to show how Jesus Christ is a fulfillment of those aspects in the spiritual realm. This seems to be an appropriate time to share the "Light Chart":
PROPERTY OF LIGHT CHRIST AS OUR LIGHT
Causes plant growth Creates life and spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:6-7)
Enables one to see clearly Causes us to see God's truth (John 14:16-17, 26)
Produces energy (stored light) Gives us energy and strength (1 Peter 4:11)
Illuminates the darkness and
cannot be destroyed by it Has power over the darkness of evil (Ecc. 2:13)
Causes reflection so we can
see ourselves Causes us to see our true selves, our sin (Is. 6:1-5)
Can be absorbed by an object,
sharing energy and warmth We live, move and exist in Christ. (Acts 17:28)
Can cause chemical change
without changing itself Christ indwells believers, yet He does not change
and does not consume us. (Rom 8:11, Mal. 3:6,
2 Cor. 5:17)
This Christmas may each of you rejoice in the freedom God offers to belong to His Kingdom of Light, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and honor the Name of Jesus, the true and only source of Light in a world of darkness!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
KEY #A3: INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY
Welcome back! My heart is pounding rapidly because I'm especially excited about this blog. Today, we will open a door that will show us the basic foundation of life!
I have a burning desire to know the Truth. Do you? There are so many belief systems in our world and all of them have a certain amount of wisdom and logic so that, if we don't examine their core statements, it would be very easy to fall into a trap of believing a huge lie and basing our lifestyle on deception. That is not what I want to do!
By the way, I just made a spelling error by leaving the "f" out of the word lifestyle in the above line and corrected it, then thought about it and realized the true statement: We either possess a "life-style"wherein we experience the Abundant Life, or we possess a "lie-style" wherein we are living out a lie that affects the core of our existence in this world and even on into Eternity! Personally, I want the "life-style!" Now, there's a good example of learning from our mistakes! :o)
Now to get down to business: Where do I go for the Truth? What will I see behind this door? As I turn the Key of Intellectual Integrity in the massive door and slowly swing it open, my first sensation is a whiff of fresh, clear air mingled in a pleasant way with the scent of an antique, musty, collection of books, like found in the seldom used stacks of an old, semi-deserted library. Yes, my guess was correct. I see now the expansive room is lined with shelves from floor to ceiling, completely surrounding me and spreading out in every direction, with an endless assortment of literary volumes of all colors and sizes. I am overwhelmed. Must I read all these books in order to find the truth? I take a deep breath, grab a cup of tea from the conveniently located rack near the door, a cinnamon scone topped with clotted cream and reach for the nearest book. As I open it I realize that this one is a Bible. How interesting that a Bible would be the first one I selected! My curiosity aroused, and my mind tingling with anticipation, I hold my breath and reach for the book next to it. This one, too, is a Bible! My eyes sweep the shelves as it appears that this entire collection might be composed of Bibles. Of course! The only book that can be trusted to be a source of total intellectual integrity would be this timeless book, the Written Word of God . . . and only this book.
Can it be? Is it true? How do I know I can believe it?
I see a computer on the table and flick it on. The screen opens with this heading:
"Objective and Internal Evidence Proves the Bible Alone is Trustworthy."
1. More than 5000 ancient Greek copies of all or portions of the New Testament have been found. The scribes who copied the original manuscripts would destroy the entire scroll of only one error was found!
2. No other ancient writings have as much manuscript evidence as does the Bible. The New Testament has about 14,000 copies, as compared to 643 copies of Homer's works, and other classic works which have anywhere from 3 to 20 copies each. The quality of Biblical manuscripts is also unsurpassed.
3. Time span: The Dead Sea Scolls, dating from 200 B.C. to A.D. 68, greatly reduce the time span between the writing of the Old Testament books to our earliest existing copies of the Old Testament, a very low figure.
4. Archaeological evidence has affirmed the historicity of the Bible, along with extra-bibical, historical writings.
5. As science progresses, more and more facts that were once supposed contradictory to the Bible are now revealed to conform to its truth statements.
6. 2 Timothy 3:16 says men, "moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Every word in the Bible is directly given by God. Every part of the Bible is inspired. The Bible does not merely contain the words of God, but it actually is the Word of God. Thus, the original writings, preserved meticulously, are without error.
(*Most of the above list is taken from the reference pages of the New American Standard International Inductive Study Bible)
7. Finally, the Bible has 66 books, 39 authors, was written in 3 different languages (original script), on 3 different continents, over a period of 1500 years. This supernatural book could only have been composed by the hand of God! And the more I study it I am amazed how its message is intricately woven together like a piece of fine artwork, from beginning to end, from Genesis through Revelation.
Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." John 14:6." and "for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth." John 18:37
Time to quit for this week, though I could go on and on about this precious book! I love it; my whole life is founded on the truth found inside. I base my present life and my eternal future on its truths.
So, now you have the first 3 letters of the word phrase: ILI.....is that telling you anything yet??? Don't be hasty; remember, you only get one guess!
Hope to see you next week!
I have a burning desire to know the Truth. Do you? There are so many belief systems in our world and all of them have a certain amount of wisdom and logic so that, if we don't examine their core statements, it would be very easy to fall into a trap of believing a huge lie and basing our lifestyle on deception. That is not what I want to do!
By the way, I just made a spelling error by leaving the "f" out of the word lifestyle in the above line and corrected it, then thought about it and realized the true statement: We either possess a "life-style"wherein we experience the Abundant Life, or we possess a "lie-style" wherein we are living out a lie that affects the core of our existence in this world and even on into Eternity! Personally, I want the "life-style!" Now, there's a good example of learning from our mistakes! :o)
Now to get down to business: Where do I go for the Truth? What will I see behind this door? As I turn the Key of Intellectual Integrity in the massive door and slowly swing it open, my first sensation is a whiff of fresh, clear air mingled in a pleasant way with the scent of an antique, musty, collection of books, like found in the seldom used stacks of an old, semi-deserted library. Yes, my guess was correct. I see now the expansive room is lined with shelves from floor to ceiling, completely surrounding me and spreading out in every direction, with an endless assortment of literary volumes of all colors and sizes. I am overwhelmed. Must I read all these books in order to find the truth? I take a deep breath, grab a cup of tea from the conveniently located rack near the door, a cinnamon scone topped with clotted cream and reach for the nearest book. As I open it I realize that this one is a Bible. How interesting that a Bible would be the first one I selected! My curiosity aroused, and my mind tingling with anticipation, I hold my breath and reach for the book next to it. This one, too, is a Bible! My eyes sweep the shelves as it appears that this entire collection might be composed of Bibles. Of course! The only book that can be trusted to be a source of total intellectual integrity would be this timeless book, the Written Word of God . . . and only this book.
Can it be? Is it true? How do I know I can believe it?
I see a computer on the table and flick it on. The screen opens with this heading:
"Objective and Internal Evidence Proves the Bible Alone is Trustworthy."
1. More than 5000 ancient Greek copies of all or portions of the New Testament have been found. The scribes who copied the original manuscripts would destroy the entire scroll of only one error was found!
2. No other ancient writings have as much manuscript evidence as does the Bible. The New Testament has about 14,000 copies, as compared to 643 copies of Homer's works, and other classic works which have anywhere from 3 to 20 copies each. The quality of Biblical manuscripts is also unsurpassed.
3. Time span: The Dead Sea Scolls, dating from 200 B.C. to A.D. 68, greatly reduce the time span between the writing of the Old Testament books to our earliest existing copies of the Old Testament, a very low figure.
4. Archaeological evidence has affirmed the historicity of the Bible, along with extra-bibical, historical writings.
5. As science progresses, more and more facts that were once supposed contradictory to the Bible are now revealed to conform to its truth statements.
6. 2 Timothy 3:16 says men, "moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Every word in the Bible is directly given by God. Every part of the Bible is inspired. The Bible does not merely contain the words of God, but it actually is the Word of God. Thus, the original writings, preserved meticulously, are without error.
(*Most of the above list is taken from the reference pages of the New American Standard International Inductive Study Bible)
7. Finally, the Bible has 66 books, 39 authors, was written in 3 different languages (original script), on 3 different continents, over a period of 1500 years. This supernatural book could only have been composed by the hand of God! And the more I study it I am amazed how its message is intricately woven together like a piece of fine artwork, from beginning to end, from Genesis through Revelation.
Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." John 14:6." and "for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth." John 18:37
Time to quit for this week, though I could go on and on about this precious book! I love it; my whole life is founded on the truth found inside. I base my present life and my eternal future on its truths.
So, now you have the first 3 letters of the word phrase: ILI.....is that telling you anything yet??? Don't be hasty; remember, you only get one guess!
Hope to see you next week!
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