God's Gift of Life

God’s GOODNESS can be seen 

Wherever a person looks, 

whenever a person looks;

Human vision may be the beginning of appreciating

God’s beautiful gift of life.

God’s POWER can be seen

in the complexities of creation,

power beyond our imagination.

Human understanding will never grasp the totality of 

God’s tremendous gift of life. 

God’s GRACE and MERCY cannot as easily be seen,

because we are often not attuned

To life’s invisibilities. 

Smothered in daily necessities we may miss seeing

God’s loving gift of life.  

God’s LOVE is written in His Word,

Can We Just "Get By"?

      Many people believe in hard work and good luck, but not in God’s wisdom and supernatural intervention.  Maybe you know someone like this?

     Many people don’t get serious about who God is; they generally ignore what He says. Their philosophy of life is “get by.”

     Jesus got to the crux of the matter when He told His disciples, “. . .You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37).

                        What does God really expect of me?

     Nothing less than complete obedience will do.  If we don’t obey His requirements for salvation we will be lost.  If we don’t obey His requirements for living we are wasting our life, and we are being a stumbling block to others who need to know Him as Lord.  Getting by is never good enough.

                                 What’s holding us back?

1. Tradition, culture
2. Apathy
3. Misunderstandings in the past
4. Beliefs that take the place of worshipping only the God of the Bible
5. Rebellion against God — what we think He caused to happen, what we don’t like about the Bible, what we don’t like about His plan of salvation and His way of life for us.
6. We think we’re doing OK and don’t want to appear to be fanatic.
7. Peer pressure from people around us
8. We may have convinced ourselves that we are Christians because we used to go to Sunday School when we were kids.
9. (Can you add to this list?) . . . 

     Does God allow people to make up their own rules? 

What It Means to Pray

•  a blessing for you

•  a blessing for the one you pray for

•  a stirring of compassion

•  a conversation with your Heaveny Father

•  an opportunity to bring help

The One Best Word

         Could the “one best word” be the happiest word? The one word that cheers up each person who has a good reason to use it?  Is it the one word you’ve said recently that improved your whole day, maybe your entire outlook on life?

Of course, you make the pronouncement yourself. Perhaps you have thought of other people saying this one word in some situation, but here, just briefly, we are speaking of you.  Read on with yourself in mind.

        That one simple word that is so powerful, so broad, yet it can be applied so specifically, is “temporary.”  Is that what you anticipated?

Anyhow, let’s take a look at its use, its possibilities, its good points. When a tiny zit pops up on a teenager’s face. When company arrives for just the weekend.  When you stubbed your toe in the dark on the way to the bathroom.  When there’s a shipper’s delay in getting that nifty new tool delivered via UPS.  

Even, when the elevator at work is stuck between floors! When there’s a traffic jam on Interstate 19! When your little kid fell off the swings and broke his arm!

As you picture these situations you will probably agree that when that #1 happiest, best word, “temporary,” comes to mind it does help alleviate the stress, frustration, and unhappiness.  

  Instead of totally dwelling on the bad event you can have a measure of relief. Whatever that uncalled for, or stupid, or aggravating event was there’s an expected end to it. Things could go back to normal.  Things might even be improved as a result of thinking about cause and effect and possible prevention and solution.  

When huge unwelcome circumstances invade your household, your job, your commute or your vacation this one happy word, “temporary,” can spur you on to doing some serious thinking, planning, and rearranging. It can encourage you to action. 

By now you have thought of some recent events in your own life that warrant the audible verbalization by you of this word, “temporary.“ You could be writing some short article yourself!

But, before we close this mental exercise there’s one very certain situation where the word “temporary” does not apply. 

Can't See God?

We can’t see God, like we see a person,

And you question if He’s there;

It makes a big difference to know,

And does He really care?

Did He fashion a complex universe

Down to the small details we find?

So is He astoundingly powerful?

Can He also be loving and kind?  

From ancient times people have wondered,

And some still bow to statues or tree;

Others frustrated with questions

Exclaim, “I will just wait and see.”

More Than a Suggestion From Me

Don’t plan to be a Christian like me:
I’m sure you see my inadequacy!
My words are sometimes very clumsy;
Don’t stumble because we may disagree.

My example isn’t the best you’ll see,
I haven’t achieved what I should be.
Turn to God and pray with sincerity;
Don’t give up on God because of me.

Go straight to the Bible to see
What God’s Word says to you and me —
What to believe and what to do;
Avoid confusion I may have shown you.

Questions Looking for an Answer

Did you command the moon or awaken the sun?
Did you imagine that you were the Holy One?
Reasons for faith, are there none?

Did you call yourself into being one day?
Is the human body only breath and clay?
Do you tell the stars to stay?

Can you hush the ocean’s mighty roaring tide?
Or make erupting of a volcano subside?
Do you rule the animals of the land?
Do you hold the future in your hand?

That Chocolate Chip Cookie, aka: Finding God

         The man had a very scientific mind, cautious yet studious, sincere about his preconceptions, yet stringently forthright. “Today I must find out about God. I must see Him and know the truth.”      
         He set off for an expedition thoroughly prepared, the best microscope, the strongest telescope, compass, a laptop computer to chart his journey and take notes. Heading in a straight line, he went towards the east, the rising sun. He ran across the land, jumped into the ocean and swam for all his might. He came up on land, ran across it to the next ocean. All along, he made careful observations.
        One day the man arrived back at his starting point, stronger for all that physical exertion, more knowledgeable for all that mental effort. He termed his search for God as a waste of time, for alas, he did not see God anywhere below, beyond or above.
        As he recuperated in his easy chair in his cozy house he pondered his pursuit. “God, I really wanted to find out if You are real.”