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Beliefs and Facts

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On a weekend evening my husband and I turned to a YouTube video debate among two distinguished English science professors. Both men taught in the same university department, one as a Christian and one as an atheist. The topic concerned whether one could rationally believe in God and science at the same time, or which one was the more rational belief. Debates usually stress me with their high level of defensiveness and posturing. These men were passionate yet civil in their comments and replies. It was obvious from the start that neither of them would change position.

We listened carefully to the discussion, knowing that intellectuals can use verbal manipulation to gain points or confuse. At the end of the debate, we agreed that both men made some understandable points. And people need that kind of recognition to humbly listen to each other. Bottom line, we all have beliefs upon which to base our faith. However, not all beliefs are facts. Christians have faith in God for those still unanswerable questions in science; atheists have faith that the pursuit of science will eventually answer those questions. Christians have an answer for the beginning of all life; atheists are still searching for that answer. Many atheists think that Christians cop out with a “God of the Gaps” who sets things in motion and only reappears to create miracles when nothing else is explainable. Many Christians believe that God is much more personal and involved than that.

People become Christians or atheists for a variety of reasons. Intellectual snobs and hard-headed hypocrites have often influenced other individual’s belief systems. We all have notions of some kind of a god–capricious Greek gods, demanding, judging, hateful gods, warrior gods, animal gods, distant gods, etc. I realize that some atheists have left behind a notion of God that I, too, would abandon.

The most difficult part of listening to the atheist’s ideas about God regarded the nature of Jesus Christ. He was very pointed in ridiculing a pitiful weak God who could create a universe and then “let himself” be tortured and crucified. That kind of God doesn’t make rational sense. I was saddened by the description, yet my heart was filled with the enormity of the God who loves me and whom I worship. I remembered 1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

I believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to help correct the misunderstandings about the nature of God and his kingdom. He came as Truth and Light to speak truth to all people. The New Testament is filled with Jesus’ parables regarding the nature of God’s kingdom. The God who spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1, John 1:1-5) also cares to search for one lost sheep, a lost coin, or a runaway son (Luke 15). The God who allows himself to reap the full consequences of evil and die at the hands of his creatures, has never been found in a tomb. He lives to provide humans with the way to be with him eternally. His kingdom doesn’t come from searching with a microscope or a telescope (although those might speak of him), “because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

I readily admit, I puzzle at the complexity of the universe and I can’t fathom many answers. I still love learning and discovering. I have a lot of respect for a God who is much greater than my mind. I am thrilled with a God who is so intimate and powerful that he can reside within all who adore him (John 14:15-18)– a God who says we are his friends, (John 15:14, 15).

Questions for personal journaling or group discussion:

1. What are some reasons that people may choose to become Christians or atheists?
2. Do you believe that a Christian can also be a rational person?

Karen Sproul writes from Orlando, Florida.

The post Beliefs and Facts appeared first on Answers for Me.

Read more at the source: Beliefs and Facts

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Closing the Door to Temptation

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Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15. Between the associations of the followers of Christ for Christian recreation, and worldly gatherings for pleasure and amusement, will exist a marked contrast. Instead of prayer and the mentioning of Christ and sacred things, will be heard from the lips of worldlings the silly laugh and the trifling conversation

Read more at the source: Closing the Door to Temptation

Article posted on en.intercer.net from Rose’s Devotional.

Rose’s Devotionals are prepared by Rose Hartwell, one of the Intercer founders. Since 1999, Rose sends out a daily devotional newsletter that includes a commentary on a Bible passage, a list of prayer requests for the current week and an illustration from daily life that applies to the Bible passage in study.

Words of Grace

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Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6. How is it that many who profess the name of Christ utter so many vain, idle words? Satan watches to obtain an advantage over those who speak in a reckless manner…

Read more at the source: Words of Grace

Article posted on en.intercer.net from Rose’s Devotional.

Rose’s Devotionals are prepared by Rose Hartwell, one of the Intercer founders. Since 1999, Rose sends out a daily devotional newsletter that includes a commentary on a Bible passage, a list of prayer requests for the current week and an illustration from daily life that applies to the Bible passage in study.

Taking Care of Stuff

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Years ago the now-deceased comedian, George Carlin, created a hilarious skit about “Stuff.” I can relate to the material. Tomorrow a rodent control business is coming to give us a free estimate on corralling the critters in our attic. I need to order filters for my shower and replace one on the furnace. The rugs should be cleaned again and the driveway is due for a pressure wash. A strange tear in the lining of one of my car doors needs attention and that requires a visit across town. Besides keeping track of the next oil change, tire rotations, and a few car washes. I grow weary of the use of my time to care for things. I would prefer to spend the precious days, months and years that I have left, caring for people and pursuing talents and relationships.

Not that my things don’t assist me in those endeavors. I use my car to get to people. I use my appliances to feed myself and family members. And I do get exhausted from caring about or for family, friends and clients. Yet my patience is growing thin about stuff. When I add up the time spent each year pricing, evaluating and shopping for appliances and services, along with waiting at home or in businesses for repairs, I am disgusted. I’m tired of babysitting possessions.

A few years ago I started yearning to downsize — get rid of things and space that isn’t necessary. Hurricanes, disasters, and terrorism remind us of what is really worth saving. Since then the “Foodie” in me acquired an electric ice cream maker, a pannini grill, a raclette grill, and some other gadgets. My children’s former bedrooms are filling with stuff that doesn’t fit in the other shelves and rooms of the house. I routinely sort through clothes and household goods to set out for the charities that provide pick-up service. The battle continues on controlling accumulation, the disease of Western consumer life.

All of this stuff may be part of the reason that fiction Amish stories are so popular in Christian book stores. We used to read the Little House on the Prairie stories and muse about the hard but simple life of bygone times. So in my fantasy world, sometimes I see myself in a little cabin among a pine forest with Internet service and a good shopping mall about one hour away. Indoor plumbing with hot water would be a must, along with my washer and dryer, a good stove, music and lots of books.

Perhaps this is another sign of my chronology. Each year is now a schedule of health maintenance appointments for various personal body parts, plus occasional unmanageable sicknesses or emergencies. And those for the dog. I fail to brush his teeth. The precious sand of time seems to be sliding ominously faster in the hour glass of each year.

Stewardship of my time, space, and health is a challenge that I want to pray about in the New Year. We joke that as file space in the mind is filled, some things fall away. I must be intentional about saving space and time in my life for the most valuable. There isn’t room for all the stuff, in my life my house, my heart. This year I will save space and time for Jesus Christ and those who mean the most to me?

Questions for personal journaling or group discussion:

1. If you have five minutes to collect your most important possessions, what would you take with you?

2. If you knew that in a few months your money would be worthless, how would you spend it now?

Karen Spruill writes from Orlando, Florida.

The post Taking Care of Stuff appeared first on Answers for Me.

Read more at the source: Taking Care of Stuff

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

Waking Up to Trust

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For all the times I’ve heard humans go on and on about love and how Jesus is huge on loving all people everywhere, I have never heard a single monologue on trust. Considering I sit in a church each weekend, this should be strange. Yes, and sadly, the dearth of education on this subject has cost me a few boatloads of emotional energy—not to mention a few thousand moments of misplaced expectations.

The truth about trust hit me square in the face one day about a decade ago. I had been fuming to myself about the repeated judgments of a certain co-worker and how he would regularly lavish his twisted take on whoever was not present. As kind as I had tried to be around him, my turn had finally come. Driving home that day, I was crestfallen. I was part hurt and part frustrated. What was his problem?!

This is when enlightenment fell from Heaven. I heard a voice in my mind ask why I was acting all shocked and mad. Why? I returned. You don’t see why? The voice asked how many times I’d heard of this guy doing this. Ok, many. The voice then asked over how many months or years I’d witnessed this behavior. Ok, several… and…?

As this mental dialogue progressed, my ignorance came shining through. This guy was known to take a swing with his “baseball bat” every time someone rang his doorbell. I’d read it through the grapevine and seen the damage with my own eyes, more than once, yes, and yet without a second thought I had run up the steps to his house with a smile on my face and hopes of having tea. I was the fool.

Over the next few days I processed how trust is opening up oneself to receive favor. It’s a choice that is made—even if not consciously—and a choice to which the trusting one is held fully responsible. Why had I not figured this out sooner? I was trusting all over the place—without even one thought or intentional question about the person I emotionally embraced.

It all sunk in very fast. Trusting should not happen before the other party has shown over time that they are capable of coming through. Their track record should be the only consideration. And yes, if they exhibited negative behavior, expectations need to be adjusted, and emotional bonding kept in check. It made me think of the Proverb that states how it is out of the heart that all of life flows. What could be worse than opening my heart up to someone with a track record for ill? What could be more devastating than broken trust and a broken heart?

Today, many years of practice later, I am doing quite well. Instead of naively hoping that all the evidence will be wrong this time, I observe a person’s emotional maturity and accept them where they are, making choices accordingly. I size up Mr. Coworker, expect what is evident, and treat him with respect without looking for any kind of goodwill to be returned. Basically, I emotionally adjust to reality and resist opening myself up for something good that will certainly not be given.

What is so huge about all this is that we are only as strong as the people we let into our hearts and lives. And what is so overlooked about all this is that the choice is always ours. Even if you have to share geographical space, this doesn’t mean you have to share your heart. And by the way, if you check out the Bible on trust, you will find it adamant that we are not to trust humans—even ourselves. We are told to trust only God.

I can count on two hands the people I now trust. They, as it turns out, are all people who have given their lives over to God. They are people who have shown over time that they are committed to honoring God’s laws and teachings. So, in the end, I guess I have found the Bible to be right on. Screening those who I trust has got me—even if indirectly—trusting only God. And what a huge relief that has been.

Clarissa Worley Sproul writes from the Pacific Northwest.

The post Waking Up to Trust appeared first on Answers for Me.

Read more at the source: Waking Up to Trust

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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