Tag: God

Christian Living, Church Life

The Lesson a String of Lights Teaches about the Church

Chris

When do you start putting up Christmas decorations? Some people get started in October, others wait until the November holidays have passed, and some like to do it in the final days before Christmas.

Getting ready for Christmas means in northern North America means Christmas lights. The winter season means even our waking hours are dark more than see the sun. It is helpful to have Christmas lights brighten our homes and countenance.

One of our first steps is often to check the lights to make sure they work. At least, it helps to make it an earlier part of the process. It is important that the majority of the light bulbs are bright and clear. If only one or a few lights are working we will probably replace it.

A strand of lights can remind us of an important truth about the Church, both local assemblies and the greater Body of Christ.

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Christian Living

Am I Living on the Wrong Branch of the Family Tree?

Chris

I have one of those online accounts to document and explore my family tree. It seems like a lot of people do. As of 2023, Ancestry.com boasted to have 25 million users.[1] That is an enormous amount of people looking to connect who they are today, to who has gone before them, and combine all of their “branches” into one story.

It is a fun, though not always easy pastime. And it can come with some pricey expenses, whether it’s a monthly website subscription or trips to far away places in an effort to track down information and documentation.

As a Christian, I am also part of a spiritual family tree. Thankfully the greatest “price” was paid by Someone else, and the “documentation” is rather handy. But just like researching a physical family tree, as we dig through and consider the information available, we may find out we have some branches missing or connected in the wrong places.

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Bible, Faith

The Weakness in Our Weapon (Sword of the Spirit, Part 2)

Chris

Paul told Christians to use the Armor of God to fight against the “evil tricks” of our spiritual enemy: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11, CSB).

It is always interesting to see how far preachers and teachers will go with their illustration of the armor. Will be it Medieval or Roman in style? Are they going to put it on piece by piece, or have someone else model it for us? I recently thought a preacher could use a Minecraft type of “armor stand” to help us see each element for more than a few seconds.

If we walked around, dressed in a visible set of the Armor of God, we would be an impressive sight. But what good will the Armor do us if we do not know how to attack or defend? What if we are short-circuiting the power of our primary weapon?

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Faith

What if God’s Love is NOT Enough (to save you)?

Chris

“Jesus loves me, this I know.” Did you read the words or sing them? Those of us who grew up in church are familiar with the song we learned a long time ago. It was probably the first thing we absorbed in church. Jesus loves me. God loves me.

God’s love is a one of the most central themes of Scripture. Some would say that without the love of God, He would not have created the universe or put humanity within it.

Another staple of early learning in Christianity is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” The path to true life is founded on Heaven’s love. Imagine what would not exist without the motivation of that love: forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, relationship, purpose, mission, spiritual gifts and fruit, hope, everlasting life.

But is it really enough that God loves us? Is this inexplicable connection which breaks through time and space enough to fill us with the “blessed assurance” that Jesus and His promises are mine? Will God’s love alone save me, or you?

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Faith

Our Free Will Choices and God’s Response

Chris

Have you ever heard God described as a “gentleman”? When painting this picture pastors and teachers generally refer to how God is unwilling to force Himself on anyone. He will always allow the individual to choose whether or not to accept Him.

The same is true of God’s hopes for our daily lives. There are ideals He wants us to live by and goals to fulfill. Yet if we choose a different path than what He would have us choose, He allows us to go as far as we dare.

In a previous post I wrote about how God saw all of time before time began, and He recorded, finalized, the outcome of history. We call this predestination. But what does it really mean when God allows us to be creatures of free will, allowing us to choose and then sealing our decisions?

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Faith

The Uncanny Partnership of Free Will and Predestination

Chris

Predestination is a theological term full of meaning. Unfortunately, it is often misunderstood, leading to a false representation, which ends up with most people choosing to ignore it or write it off.

Free will is considered the hero fighting against the evil of Predestination. We consider how we are thinking beings, making decisions all of the time. We are not preprogrammed or piloted by someone else, not even God.

But these two ideas are not enemies. Rather than battle or work against each other they work in tandem partnership. In fact, Predestination is the ultimate result of Free Will.

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