…your life has new meaning!
Ask fifty people to finish the statement "Live As If" and you are likely to get fifty different answers. For Christians it will mean something different than for non-Christians. Incorporated into the top graphic are the answers given by friends of mine. It is our desire that your answer will be different each time you visit.
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The Freedom of the Will
''Winging It' from Stan Smith
Anyone who knows of Jonathan Edwards will know that he wrote the definitive work, The Freedom of the Will. I am not writing any such thing. I just want to examine, for a moment, what we know about the human will and its freedom and lack thereof.
Free will is important. We know that because if there is no free will, there is no free choice, and if no free choice, no accountability. That is, if humans do not have free will, they can't be held responsible for their sin or credited with their successes and Christianity falls apart. But what exactly is this so-called "free will"?
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Castles or Company?
'The Way' from Kevin Pauley
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35
A good man was walking on a beach on a hot summer day when he came across two children playing in the sand. Amused by their play, he paused to watch them. They were diligently building an elaborate sand castle. It had everything a fairy tale construct could desire: towers, walls, a moat and a draw bridge. The children even went so far as to begin building a…
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Justification V (2-11-11)
'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington
As rational human beings, we justify ourselves (to judge to be right or appropriate) throughout our accountable years. There are also times during those years that we take account of our actions and conclude that we have acted inappropriately or, speaking from a spiritual standpoint, sinned. God created us such that we rationalize (justify) our actions, or our consciences disapprove of our actions. These mental transactions are related to the subject matter of this series, i.e. justification.
There is another level at which justification can take place, but unlike the level…
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Honesty, Integrity and Transparency Throughout Pauls Ministry
'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw
We are in I Thessalonians 2 and verse 5 – Was Paul being accused of seeking fame and honour, and money, when you read verse 9?
In Paul’s ministry, there was no flattery and no covetousness, and no “what is in it for me” or “what can I get out of it”.……
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Rahab the harlot
'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess
So often Jesus’ lineage is studied with great emphasis given to the long line of men listed in the begats. There are only four women listed: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba. In this list are a Canaanite harlot from Jericho, a Canaanite woman, a Moabite, and an adulteress.
I have to wonder why these women were singled out to be mentioned. What could possibly be so different about them that they needed mentioning when not even Sarah was mentioned or Isaac’s wife, Rebecca? I do not think it is solely because of their sin. Although, I do believe that God has reminded…
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What Has Been Done For You And Me
''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs
Christ has done it all for you and me!
Christ became sin In our stead - so that our sins would not be counted against us.
When we are without belief in Jesus Christ, our relationship to sin is:
We can live with it...
We can ignore it...
We can flee from it...
Or, we can leave it all at the foot of the cross.
It is possible to live with the first three at the same time. Regardless, if it is there, it is still ours. It sticks like glue. It follows you, pursues you, and - if not gotten rid of, it will kill eventually kill you spiritually, and possibly physically.…
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Psalms 91:9
'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro
'Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;' Psalm 91:9 KJV
This verse grabs my attention. In the middle of this chapter, it exerts God's powerful ability to destroy the works of Satan. This verse reminds me of the cheesy commercials that play up their product then state, "But that's not all!" It's phycological wording to reel in your attention to increase the perceived value in your mind.
But God is not cheesy. He, in this verse, is upping the ante. God is adding more goodness to your plate.…
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Discovering Your Inner Muse
'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell
For those of us who live inside the world of artistic creativity, chasing that ever-elusive muse is more satisfying than the strongest of addictions. It often comes easy, like drawing an effortless breath or taking a Sunday drive along an oceanfront road, allowing the world of make believe to magically enter your bloodstream. It's thrilling, and oh so satisfying and rewarding when it happens, most likely leaving you craving and hungering for more as it leaves, disappearing like a adrenaline-filled lovers kiss.
When I first began writing, doing something creative was pretty…
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Bible and Quote - September 15-19
'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns
The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14 Rejoice and live each day with confidence in an all-powerful sovereign God, who saved you and keeps you. Lifeway, Explore the Bible, Spring 2007
The Lord has disciplined me severely; But He has not given me over to death. Psalm 118:18
God’s correction proves our cure so that in the end, the purpose of His medicine rids us of our malady, and renders us healthy and vigorous. John Calvin, 1509-64, French reformer, theologian
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the…
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Sow, Plow, Reap
'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester
“Sow for yourselves righteousness,
Reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes and,
showers righteousness on you.
Hosea 10:12 (NIV)
I felt the need to learn to better manage my time. I could waste a day just by sitting and ‘wool gathering’-just daydreaming about different things.
One of the blogs I follow pointed out that people need to start the day with the LORD. I had tried to do that. I chose to be more consistent with it.
I received an e-mail giving…
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The Sanctified Wind
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' from Tom Kelley
New Orleans is still reeling in the aftermath of the deadly hurricane that assaulted her two years ago. The city's population is nowhere close to being what it was and many of its mainline businesses have not returned. Displaced homeowners have relocated to other areas of Louisiana or have moved completely out of state. The devastation that the city experienced was simply too much for many of its people. It is difficult to restart businesses in communities that don't exist anymore within a city.
Enterprise, Alabama lost some of its brightest hope for the future when a school…
The recent flap over deposed Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has raised some eyebrows concerning the plans of President Bush when he first took office. According to documentation provided by O'Neill, Bush had plans to attack Iraq and remove and capture Saddam Hussein early in the administration. O'Neill's comments, documents and such are the focal point of a new book written by Ron Suskind, The Price Of Loyalty. Other Bush informants are cited in the book concerning their observations and knowledge…
Daily Refractions
Words to Ponder
It is a singularly unpleasant thought that a book about Holy Communion is more likely to produce disagreement and controversy than one written on almost any other Christian subject. It seems a truly terrible thing that this Sacred Appointment, which was surely meant to unite, in actual practice divides Christians more sharply than any other part of their worship. Christians of various denominations may, and frequently do, work together on social projects, they may study the Scripture together, and they may ... pray together. But the moment attendance at the Lord's Table is suggested, up go the denominational barriers... I would make a strong plea that we do not exclude from the Lord's Table in our Church those who are undoubtedly sincere Christians. I cannot believe that to communicate together with our Lord should be regarded as the consummation, the final pinnacle, of the whole vast work of Reunion. Suppose it is the means and not the end. We might feel far more sharply the sin of our divisions and of our exclusiveness if we came humbly together to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, and in that reception we might find such a quickening of our common devotion to Him that the divisions between us might be found not nearly so insuperable as we supposed. - J. B. Phillips, Appointment with God
'Daily Reading Plan'
from StudyLight.org
Bible-in-a-Year — NAS
Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 45; Ephesians 5:21-33:
"Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: "Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. "As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. "No eye looked with pity on you to…
