Ecclesiastes 12:10

  If I were to ask you the length of the Mississippi River, you probably wouldn’t know the exact number. So, if I said just put it between two numbers, you might have a better chance. You might be willing to wager a bit of money on it. In fact, it is a bet you could never lose. Just pick one and an obscenely large number, and it would be technically between those two. Yet when researchers did this as an experiment, that is not what happened. People gave way closer numbers even if doing so gave them a higher chance to lose.     There is an interesting psychological effect here; we are quick to set lower limits than we have to.   And it is also what we do with God.   In Ephesians 3:20, Paul writes, “ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us ,” God can do far more than we can imagine, far more than we think, far more than we are willing to ask. Neither God’s love no...

    There is criticism and then there is being critiqued. One is disparagement, the other appraisal. One is condemnation, one is assessment.  Knowing these words definitions is one thing, knowing which it is when they are being given to us is another matter entirely.     If you take all criticism as critiquing, not only will you be pretty miserable but also on the road to failure. If you take all critiquing as criticism, you also will be a failure but even worse you won’t know why. When you don’t ever listen to those trying to help you improve, you will end up miserable because you can’t figure out why you are falling.     So how can we spot when someone is telling us something that might be hard to hear but helpful, rather than when someone is just being hurtful? How can we make sure we are in the right mindset to accept the advice and ignore the naysayer? Let consider some wisdom from the Bible. 1.    If i...

Quick question, what other name was Thomas the disciple also called?     The Bible tells us that Thomas is also called Didymus (John 11:16, John 20:24, John 21:2).  I would hazard a guess that the first thing that came to your mind however was Doubting Thomas.  That moniker isn't in the scripture but has been given to him because of the events Of John 20:24-29.  Here Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus was resurrected until he sees the physical proof that the other apostles received (John 20:20).  Jesus does appear and shows him just what he asked for.  Because of this event, Thomas has been singled out as a Doubter.  I’m not sure that this is all that fair[1].  Other disciples were not so sure even when they had met the resurrected Jesus (Luke 24:37-40).  In fact, all the apostles got scolded for not believing the witnesses to his resurrection (Mark 16:13-14).  So why then does Thomas get the “doubting” nickname? ...

Monday morning scatter shooting    while wondering whose cruel idea it was to put but an S in the word LISP.     I was working on a lesson about John the Baptist last week when I noticed a practical lesson.  In Matthew 11, John sends his disciple to Jesus because he having his doubt if Jesus is really the Christ.  Jesus answers John’s doubt by citing his miracles and ministry and encourages him to not to stumble.  Then right after that he does something we might not expect.  He tells the crowds about how great John is.  He praises him about as highly as you can praise someone.  I thought about how I might have reacted.  Someone comes to me and questions my work, I’d defend myself but I don’t know if I would be so quick to build that person up to others.  Jesus knows better.  People that are having questions of faith are the ones that need to be built up.  A word of praise can be a great encouragement t...