* Poor in quality
* Inconsistently heated
* A cheap imitation of the real thing
May we all come to grips with reality: that true, enriching, consistent and long lasting Godliness can only be acquired in slow, methodical, tested, forged, sacrificial daily portions.
Read moreThe book of Genesis reveals to us that God is the supreme initiator of all activity from the creation of the universe, to the creation of the history of a man and his family as the bearers of divine revelation. After getting past the early chapters which set the stage for the history of our salvation: human creation and fall, Genesis introduces us to Abraham and his family.
Read moreWilliam Gladstone, three times Prime Minister of Great Britain once said, "If asked what is the remedy for the deeper sorrows of the human heart, what a man should chiefly look to in his progress as the power that is to sustain him under trials and enable him to confront his inevitable afflictions, I must point him to something which in a well-known hymn is called 'The old, old story,' told in an old, old Book, which is the greatest and best gift ever given to mankind."
Read moreWe can play these silly games as a society, with each other and sadly, even in our churches, but we cannot play them with God. The all-knowing, all-seeing, all powerful Creator of the universe is not fooled nor amused at the excuses we make for our failures and neglect. Society would have us believe it's not our fault that we are undisciplined, addicted, lazy, overweight, fearful, or ignorant. It makes us feel better when we can point to the "experts" who validate that is not "our fault."
Read moreWhy is the Bible so desirable to those who do not have one of their own? Why is it considered so valuable? What are the characteristic features that mark it as special? Books have to be written by authors. The Bible is authored by writers who were especially qualified to write about their subjects. What were their qualifications? What makes their writings unique? Let me take as an example the person of Peter the apostle.
Read moreIn 1526 William Tyndale printed the first English New Testament directly from the Greek. He had to do it in Germany because the English church hierarchy had prohibited the translation. Tyndale managed to smuggle Bibles into England and they spread throughout the country. When news of their arrival leaked out the church authorities gathered up as many as they could find and burned them in a bonfire in the courtyard of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Read moreWhy is the Bible history’s bestseller? Why has it retained its perennial appeal? Why do we read it, study it, discuss it, and are concerned that others learn from it? Why is it so important? What is so thrilling about it?
Read moreGrowing up in New Zealand, we were taught earthquake drill in our school. Seeing the sea roil offshore from my home town and experiencing shock waves is a sobering experience. We were aware that the whole country was created by volcanic activity. New Zealand would not exist if volcanoes had not risen above the Pacific, and then became extinct, or dormant. What had been created in that way can also be destroyed by the same action. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.
Read more1. Enlightentment individualism and opposition to any authority, which is enshrined in aspects of the Protestant Reformation and the American Revolution. Individual interpretation of the Bible led to personal choice and the founding of many denominations and independent churches. It is a consumer mentality.
Read moreWe thank thee, O blessed Lord God, that while another year has passed away, and thousands and tens of thousand precious souls have departed to the eternal world, we yet survive; that we have been, by thy merciful providence, conducted through a thousand perils to this present time. Help us, O heavenly Father, so to number our days, and so duly to consider the shortness and uncertainty of human life, that we may apply our hearts to true wisdom.
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