Have you ever been in a boat against such strong wind that after hours of rowing with all your might—you are even farther away from your desired destination than when you started? That is how many people live, especially the really religious ones.
Tag: God’s love
Categories
Transformed from Glory to Glory
As a young girl watching the movie Cinderella, I saw a “plain, yellow pumpkin” become a “golden carriage,” and a “plain country bumpkin” and a prince were “joined in marriage”. And of course, like many little girls, I wanted to be transformed into a princess, too! Naturally that hope faded as I grew up. Instead it appeared that I was destined to become…I had no idea what.
In elementary school, we had some classic “come back” lines in certain situations. If someone said they “loved” something, we would respond: “Then why don’t you marry it!” Another comeback when someone made a remark about us was, “Prove it!”
Have you ever seen a newborn puppy or kitten, though blind, find their mother and begin to nurse? God built these “basics” (like feeding ourselves) into life. The basics are simple and easy to find and understand. When things get complicated, they can lose their value. Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said, “Give thanks to God who made necessary things simple, and complicated things unnecessary.”
I learned about my Dad by reading old newspapers about his Navy and Army service in World War II. I also heard stories about him from my Mom and other relatives. But the way I knew him best was by living with him, hearing what he had to say, and seeing his love for me in daily actions—like playing “catch” or praying together.
Categories
Modern Church Myths
II Timothy 4:3,4 [Moffatt Translation]:
For the time will come when people decline to be taught sound doctrine, they will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies, they will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths.
Categories
Give Thanks. In Everything.
THANKSGIVING DAY. Today, we are thankful. We all have plenty to be thankful for. We could each most likely go on for hours about all we have to be thankful for. But can we be thankful in ANY circumstance?
I Thessalonians 5:16-18:
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks…
Every time we would visit him, my grandfather would give us girls each a quarter to walk down to the nearby 7/11 and buy ourselves a Slurpee, a box of candy, and a comic book. My grandmother would berate him with a mild “Now don’t spoil their supper, Walter!” My Grandpa Walt was the kindest, most patient man I have ever met and I haven’t found his equal yet. The true love of his life was his dear wife, my Grandma Edna.
Categories
Love and Marriage: Submit
In Love and Marriage: As Christ Loved the Church, we saw that God’s plan for marriage as expressed in Ephesians 5:25 tells husbands specifically in the marriage relationship to love their own wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.
I have a favorite saying (although it’s one that I often forget, especially in the heat of battle), “Whoever loves first, wins.” Now before I go any further with this, let me explain the ground rules of this competition. First of all, every Christian believer is to “walk in love” toward one another in the same way that Christ loved all of us.