We face perilous times. These times include harassments, distractions, risks and threats. However these perils are nothing more than statues on a lawn, pictures on a door, costumed children at our house for “trick or treat.” Though very real to those who “keep” their life, they fade away to those “losing” their lives — to those “dead” and hid with Christ in God. see Colossians 3:3. Let’s consider 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ overmasters us, the conclusion at which we have arrived being this–that One having died for all, His death was their death, and that He died for all in order that the living may no longer live to themselves, but to Him who died for them and rose again. — Weymouth translation. You see, ” For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” was Paul’s striking testimony in Philippians 1:21. He saw…
Healing at the Cross Posts
He picked up the heavy bowling ball, intent on following the pattern of the others. A half grin revealed his sincerity but his every move resembled nothing of a bowler. Turning right to left, he positioned himself catty-corner to the pins. With a series of gyrations and twists he placed the ball on the lane, somehow propelling it toward its goal. Slowly the rock found its way to the destination, and, low and behold, knocked over some large ten-pins. Over the next hour, again and again, he did something identical, showing not a randomness but a marked repetition. In his mind he was bowling. He was autistic. After several years, some adventures at bowling alleys returned to my memory as a dawning came — all of us interpret life uniquely. We all do life with our individual faculties and skill, and much like our autistic friend, varied results may happen,…
Virtue is the supernatural, unfathomable, perfect love of God. Pastor Carl H. Stevens “It is perfect because it is not our love, but love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit ” (Romans 5:5).God’s grace is inexhaustible; it depends upon the Giver and never the receiver. His forgiveness is incomprehensible; His mercy is eternal; and His love is unconditional. It is this quality of love—‘virtue love’—that sets captives free, because this love never demands a response from its object. Dr. Carl H. Stevens Unfortunately, the best love that man can produce falls way short of what Peter tells us to add to our faith in 2 Peter 1:5. Our love often reeks with subjective overtones, self-centeredness, and often is defensive. Way back in the garden, the human race in Adam and Eve, twisted love toward their own self interest because of fear. Privately interpreting how God…
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ” Hebrews 9:11-14 How do we gain awareness of life? What are “dead works,” as described in Hebrews 9:14? What does a purged conscience look like? What does it mean to serve the living God? First, we operate by the mercies of God. see Romans 12:1-2. Eleven previous chapters of the epistle of Paul to the Romans explains the mercies of God. In Chapter 1, God’s righteousness is said to…
“You feel downcast, you’re hurting, you don’t feel good, you’re tired, you’re exhausted, and you are tempted to be depressed or to receive stress. Wisdom is to rush to the throne of God to get mercy to help! You believe that His throne is a throne of mercy; you believe it’s a throne of grace; and you receive help because of Hebrews 4:15-16. That’s wisdom.” Dr. .Carl H. Stevens Micah 7:8 teaches, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. ” “God raiseth up all those that be bowed down,” Psalm 124:14 — “He is able to keep us from falling.” Jude 24 “…we will not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds us with His hand.” Psalm 37:24 “Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in the nick of time ” –C.H.…
Wishful thinking can be larger than life. Lets begin with one man’s observations about the atheist, the politician, and the diplomat. “The definitely concrete fact that they (the atheist), do not acknowledge God determines their knowledge of God. And the fact that they do not want to admit His existence, later gives them, in plenty, the means of legitimizing their desire. If the wish is ever father to the thought, it is abundantly so here. …how cheaply are thoughts and reasons to be had. …the history of philosophy might well be written as the history of wishes; and the history of history-writing as a history of wishful thinking; and indeed, the history of religions as the history of pious wishes. ” “The art of political and tactical speech in general — alike to the man in the street and for the official spokesman — invariably consists in seeking reasons for…
Many mysteries doth life bring to us. Why so? We are not all-knowing, in fact, on the extreme side of finite do we face the simple day. In time we learn some routines — get out of bed, wash our face, prepare a small breakfast, get in the car, etc. Sometimes even these drills become disorganized. The raging storm of life outside of my four walls bursts through my windows or door, disrupting so much to even rearrange the whole course of my day. These agitations have proven fear-producing potentials for many. But, perhaps not for the storm dwellers. These folks have relinquished control of their lives out of necessity. Some become expert at riding the waves of chance and insecurity — these positive thinkers hope for the best. Others fall by the wayside, chewed up and spat out, they turn to “medication.” Still others try a mixture of both,…
Perhaps we endeavor to think back over our lives. We undertake a dangerous proposition if we are not careful. What segments do we emphasize? What do we magnify? Can I really review my past accurately? Am I happy with it, or regretting my exercise? Paul, the Apostle, spoke of forgetting what is behind, pressing on to what is still coming — in Philippians 3:13. We do well to take his advise. A believer in Christ can err in his or her evaluations due to a complex makeup in Adam. They may live in confusion regarding ideals. For example, some have convictions from God’s Word that bring tremendous security to their lives. But, other Christians are fighting for their salvation. Some have had sound teachers, others are self taught or have had immature leaders as examples. It means that God’s process of making them like Christ’ has not been completed yet.…
“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3 Heads need a lifting often because, “…they are increased that trouble me! The opposition thickens and becomes a myriad squeezing in on me. They assemble and try to convince me that God will not help me. (my paraphrase).Psalm 3:1-3 They gang up on me. They magnify the pressure. They try to load on my shoulders what only God could carry. It can be a shocking thing to realize a true enemy. David, and this is extremely sad, had to acknowledge his own son as his enemy. Author of Psalm 3, David faced a “no-win” situation; defeat the enemy — lose your son; or, concede to that enemy– lose your kingdom. This combination weighed down the head, persecuted hope, pushed depression, drove despair. However: 2 Samuel 16 tells a unique story. As…
The subject of Biblical testing at the initiation of God is one of fleeting understanding. In fact, this author wrote a short commentary on “Job” a few years ago, only to wander, today, if there was any accuracy in the insight. I am thinking of writing a revision. I had discussed “Sense evaluation” as a target of God’s testing, which I still hold to be true. God’s servant in Isaiah 11: 3, judged not “after the sight of his eyes, neither reproved after the hearing of his ears.” — a prophetic passage pointing to Christ. The reference refers to temporal thinking which, again, God targets for exposure and ultimate removal. God seeks to orient us to the eternal. Our degree of Spiritual content through the intake of God’s Word reveals itself in the trial. In his booklet, “When Testings Come,” Dr. Carl H. Stevens writes that in tests. “God watches six…