Category: Faith

Faith

5 Reasons Our Hearts Remain Unbroken by Suffering

Chris

When God created the Universe – the sun, moon and stars; the planets; the sky and clouds; the water and the land; all the animals, fish, birds and everything else that fills Creation – He looked upon it all and consider “very good.” Unfortunately, the world around us doesn’t feel very good.

Our world is, in fact, extremely broken. It is one of the impacts of the Fall and sin of mankind. Not only were Adam and Eve condemned because of their sin, so was Creation itself. Paul says it is “frustrated” as it waits with “hope” to be “liberated from its bondage to decay” and to be “brought into … freedom and glory” (Romans 8:20-21 NIV).

Until the day when Creation is reborn free and glorious, we all live in the midst of this horrid brokenness. We see it on the news, whether it’s far on the other side of the world, or just down the street. Yet our Christian hearts appear untouched by the turmoil and struggle around us appear.

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Faith

Which Freedom Are You Living In?

Chris

Today is Canada Day. For those of you living south of “The Great White North,” it is the day Canadians set off fireworks and celebrate their birth as a nation. Clothes sporting red and white or a maple leaf are the norm. With the day off from work and barbeques flaring up, you’d think it was the Fourth of July.

Of course, that’s just a few days away. July 4 will see a similar celebration as Canada’s cousin, the United States, enjoys its own celebration. Fireworks, barbeques, and red, white and blue. As an American abroad, it’s fun to enjoy both days. I even have both flags flying on my porch.

Though few tend to mention it, these two days are very different. The holiday I grew up with is “Independence Day” while my current home but not native land celebrates “Dominion Day.” Independence and Dominion are not the same. In fact, if you mix them up, you’ll find yourself in a big mess.

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Faith

Making God’s Strength Your Only Strength

Chris

Without God’s strength, we are all weak. Maybe you don’t agree with that statement, but it is true. If you are only depending upon your own physical, emotional and mental prowess, you will eventually fall under one of the weights the world will throw at you. And there are many.

Previously, I wrote about finding the strength of Jesus. In Christ’s victory over death and the grave there is no weakness, only strength. It is greater than any power or strength you can build on your own. Actually, it requires our weakness to be present. It seems we only invite the strength of God into our lives when we come to grips with the truth of our personal weakness.

In Psalm 18, David wrote an incredible description of the strength of God at work in his life. But before that, he started with one incredibly loaded sentence. Learning the power of this sentence helps us receive and recognize God’s strength as our only strength.

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Faith

Finding the Strength of Jesus

Chris

In high school I was a distance runner. I would run on the cross-country team in the Fall and for the track and field team in the Spring. Our training involved running every day. Another part of training was hitting the gym a couple times each week. Every time I entered the gym I dream of what it would be like to have muscles and be strong.

Many of us wish we could be strong. It takes a lot of discipline, dedicating yourself to continued time and effort. You can’t quit training once you start. If you aren’t purposeful in continuing your strength will waste away.

Though our television shows, movies, magazines and the internet are full of well-toned bodies, the majority of us are not. We gave up on the routine, or never started it all. As a result we are weak. Strength and muscles remain a dream. But there’s more to strength and weakness than we realize.

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Faith

Four powerful lessons for life’s difficult days

Chris

In a previous post, I shared about mountains and valleys in our lives. The ups and downs, the good days and bad days, can be likened to the rise of mountaintops and fall of valleys. God doesn’t disappear from day to day, bringing us a good day and then leaving us on our own. When we believe in Jesus Christ, God is with us and in us, through the good and the bad.

Because we think of the mountains as good days in life and with God, and the valleys are our bad days, we have a natural desire to stay on the mountaintops. When we struggle or face pain and troubles, we talk about how we are “low” and want to get back to the good spot, back to the top where everything is better.

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Faith

Take Comfort in God’s Continued Presence

Chris

Life has its good days and its bad days. Sometimes everything feels like it falls right into place, and we feel good and free. Other days we feel as if the troubles and struggles of life won’t leave us alone.  Good days, and bad days. Another way to look at it is like mountains and valleys, with their highs and lows.

We like the good days, so we call them the highlights or the high points of our days and lives. These are our mountaintop experiences and moments. Towering over everything, sitting in the clear, the world seems so simple. Troubles are forgotten in the midst of peace.

If the good days are mountaintops, then bad days are the valleys. Down there it’s harder to see what is going on around us. The sun can be hidden by trees and other obstacles. Dangerous animals, holes and traps lie unseen. In these “valley” days we face the troubles of life, the schemes of people around us, and the pain and darkness of not knowing.

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