It's a question that came to me today while reading the Bible (lots of questions happen that way). Next week (Oct. 7) in NewSong and at Fire & Water we happen to be talking about faith (it was not planned, two separate calendars planned months and years in advanced, what are the odds of that? Maybe God is trying to tell us something...). And it just so happens that today, I was reading about faith.
Have you ever noticed how many times in the Bible God tells people to do something for a miracle. Go wash in the Jordan to be healed of leprosy. Go look for rain. Things like that. The amazing part is that God never says "Go" and then it's done. For both of those stories, the person had to perform the act seven times.
Why seven? Why not just do it the first time? What if it's to see if you really want it? What if it's to test your faith in God?
Think of a little kid in a toy store. I was great in toy stores. I knew what I wanted. Everything. I know I asked mom for that, and that, and this over here, oh and that one, the big shiny toy. And my mom never bought me any of them. But she did buy me a toy Knight Rider car (I've been on a Knight Rider kick lately). Why? Because I loved Knight Rider as a kid. So when I saw the car, I didn't just go "Please mom" and forget it. I asked a lot. Over and over. And over.
By doing this my mom figured out two things. One, I really wanted that toy car (it talked, who wouldn't want that?!). Two, that I knew she had the power to give it to me, maybe even wanted to give it to me, but just wasn't doing it yet.
When you pray for things, do you really want them? Bad enough to ask more than once? Do you believe God still has the power to do it and wants to even if He doesn't grant your wish immediately the first time?
What have you given up on God for that maybe you should start praying for again...?
T
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Absolute Truth
Hey all, I'm going to Canada for a few days, so I won't be on for a while. A parting thought for you though...
Reading today, a good thing to do, I came across this. Most people know what Absolute Truth is, something that's true no matter what. The problem is in today's world, we seem to try and get rid of it, saying there are no Absolutes. Somehow, we have become scared of something being true no matter what, like it traps us and shoves us in a corner we can't get out of.
But here's the catcher. The word absolute comes from Latin, the word is Absolvere and it means to "set free". These truths are meant to bind us up and hold us down, Absolute Truths were named so because they set us free. Now where have I heard before that the truth will set you free...?
(Oh yeah)
"If you continui in My Word, you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth witll make you free." ~ Jesus
Reading today, a good thing to do, I came across this. Most people know what Absolute Truth is, something that's true no matter what. The problem is in today's world, we seem to try and get rid of it, saying there are no Absolutes. Somehow, we have become scared of something being true no matter what, like it traps us and shoves us in a corner we can't get out of.
But here's the catcher. The word absolute comes from Latin, the word is Absolvere and it means to "set free". These truths are meant to bind us up and hold us down, Absolute Truths were named so because they set us free. Now where have I heard before that the truth will set you free...?
(Oh yeah)
"If you continui in My Word, you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth witll make you free." ~ Jesus
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Rarity
Today I'm doing some reading like normal and learned a weird and wonderful fact. There is a small bird in Asia that spits out spaghetti like spittle that forms into a nest for its young. The crazier part, it is a Chinese delicacy, spit-made spaghetti-like bird's nest, starting price around $3000.
So this got me thinking, why on earth would you want to eat that? The only answer I can come up with, it's rare. We seem to love things that are rare. If there's lots of it, it has less value but the less of it there is, the more value it holds. No one eats the bird's nest outside my house in the tree, they're everywhere. This spit-nest, special.
And that led me to thinking how much we love rare things. In a way it was currency, gold was shiny and rare. Before money, people bartered, need vs. rare. It's like the old expression, "You always want what you can't have."
But is that really true, or is it a trick? Do we only want what's rare because that's what we've been taught to believe? The reason I started asking myself those questions is this. What is the least rare thing there is? God. God is everywhere. God wants to be a part of everyone's life. Starting a relationship with God is immensely easy, probably the easiest thing possible to be done in all of history. And yet there are those that see it as nothing. Why? Because it is too easy? Because someone has deceived us into believing that if it's not rare it's not valuable and therefore not something to be sought after? Is it that simple? Has our society lost it's will to be "Under God" that easily?
It's funny how we seek out the rare, but the things that are most precious, the things that we need, the things that give us life, air, water, food, they are abundant. Some of them fall from the sky, some are the sky! Maybe we should be focusing on what is in abundance and why He made the universe that way. Why there is more love of God in this world than O2 atoms...
Rom. 3:22 ~ "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."
T
So this got me thinking, why on earth would you want to eat that? The only answer I can come up with, it's rare. We seem to love things that are rare. If there's lots of it, it has less value but the less of it there is, the more value it holds. No one eats the bird's nest outside my house in the tree, they're everywhere. This spit-nest, special.
And that led me to thinking how much we love rare things. In a way it was currency, gold was shiny and rare. Before money, people bartered, need vs. rare. It's like the old expression, "You always want what you can't have."
But is that really true, or is it a trick? Do we only want what's rare because that's what we've been taught to believe? The reason I started asking myself those questions is this. What is the least rare thing there is? God. God is everywhere. God wants to be a part of everyone's life. Starting a relationship with God is immensely easy, probably the easiest thing possible to be done in all of history. And yet there are those that see it as nothing. Why? Because it is too easy? Because someone has deceived us into believing that if it's not rare it's not valuable and therefore not something to be sought after? Is it that simple? Has our society lost it's will to be "Under God" that easily?
It's funny how we seek out the rare, but the things that are most precious, the things that we need, the things that give us life, air, water, food, they are abundant. Some of them fall from the sky, some are the sky! Maybe we should be focusing on what is in abundance and why He made the universe that way. Why there is more love of God in this world than O2 atoms...
Rom. 3:22 ~ "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."
T
Friday, September 14, 2007
I Saw Pirates
No, it's true, real pirates. I was gone earlier this week (Lorie and I left for our anniversary) and her suggestion on things to do was go see an exhibit on pirates. So we did, we went and saw the first ever authenticated pirate ship found. Pretty sweet. We got to see the cannons, swords, stuff like that including boxes of treasure (and I mean boxes!). I see how they got rich.
Through the exhibit they mentioned how many naval people wanted to become pirates. If you worked for the gov't, you got little pay, bad living conditions etc. On a pirate ship, almost everyone was equal and got a fair share of the loot and even got recompensed if hurt in a fight. They also treated everyone as equal in terms of race and color. In a time when the slave trade was huge, pirates were all together and even freed many slaves so they could take the ships.
To me, this was so weird! We read the pirate stories, etc, and it looks all glamorous but the truth is they were thieves. People hated them and would watch them hang and cheer for their death because by robbing people these pirates caused taxes to go up, took things that didn't belong to them, and so on and so forth. Yet, this group of thieves seemed to have a higher standing of ethics when it came to the treatment of people than everyone else! It kind of makes you wonder where we should look for our moral compass. I mean at least today we have things to look to like the government, TV, movies, books, magazines, the general populace. How's that working out?
Ps. 119:11 ~ "You Word I have hidden in my heart so I will not sin against You."
T
Through the exhibit they mentioned how many naval people wanted to become pirates. If you worked for the gov't, you got little pay, bad living conditions etc. On a pirate ship, almost everyone was equal and got a fair share of the loot and even got recompensed if hurt in a fight. They also treated everyone as equal in terms of race and color. In a time when the slave trade was huge, pirates were all together and even freed many slaves so they could take the ships.
To me, this was so weird! We read the pirate stories, etc, and it looks all glamorous but the truth is they were thieves. People hated them and would watch them hang and cheer for their death because by robbing people these pirates caused taxes to go up, took things that didn't belong to them, and so on and so forth. Yet, this group of thieves seemed to have a higher standing of ethics when it came to the treatment of people than everyone else! It kind of makes you wonder where we should look for our moral compass. I mean at least today we have things to look to like the government, TV, movies, books, magazines, the general populace. How's that working out?
Ps. 119:11 ~ "You Word I have hidden in my heart so I will not sin against You."
T
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Computer Back On!
For those that don't know, I moved and I finally have internet again! So hopefully I'll write more blogs, although I really don't have anything to say...
T
T
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