Give Them What They Want

Once again this week I found myself yelling at my TV, “Enough with this story already!” Have you noticed how the news media in recent years have found themselves obsessed with certain stories? Day after day, week after week, they pour over every detail, explore every facet and just when you think nothing more can be said, they start in again. Why do they do it? The answer is simple, people will watch it. As much as we cry foul, ratings go thru the roof over such stories because people become fascinated and demand more. So the news delivers what they want, even though it has no real news value anymore. It happens in religion as well. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, we read, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” People often grow weary of truth and reality and instead want to turn to myth and self serving doctrine. And there will always be those that are willing to oblige their desires. We must be careful that what we seek in our religion is not just what we want, but what we need.

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Mysterious Ways

William Cowper didn’t see any reason to live. He decided that he’d jump off the bridge over the Thames. So, he called a cab to take him there. But that night in 1763, a thick fog enveloped London. It was so thick the cab driver couldn’t find the bridge and couldn’t even find the way to take William home. In frustration, he ordered the driver to stop and get out to get his bearings. He walked up to the nearest house to read the number and it was William's house. Gone now were William’s thoughts of suicide and instead a new idea came into his head. So, he went in and wrote these words: God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm. You fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. I sometimes wish we could see all the ways God watches over us when need it. There are...

The Gift You Give Yourself

I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.

Canned Faith

As Dale Jenkins wrote: “Faith is a little like paint. As long as it’s in the can, it isn't much. Left in the can long enough a gallon of paint will ruin. Faith left unpracticed and unexercised will too…. You can’t just talk about faith. To be effective, you must be living it out. So take the paint out of the can and start painting.” The Bible says in James 2:18,” But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works . " Faith is something that only works when it is used. If our faith doesn’t do anything, is it really there at all? Truly “ living by faith ” isn’t just a proclamation we make but one we live in how we walk and talk, how we live and interact, and what we say but also what we do. Is our faith canned? Is it something we have if we go looking for it? Or is it something that is being used daily in our lives? Does your faith color eve...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

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