what do you believe?
Near the climax of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a villain shoots Indiana’s father to motivate the distressed son to enter a booby-trapped temple and retrieve the Holy Grail. “The healing power of the Grail is the only thing that can save your father now,” he said. “It’s time to ask yourself what you believe.” I deplore what the evil man did, but he was on to something: What we believe determines what we do.
belief and obedience
Have you ever desperately wanted something from God? Did you ever make any promises to Him so that He would come through for you?
a surfer’s heart
The film Noah’s Arc: The Noah Snyder Documentary tells the story of Noah Snyder and his unique journey from growing up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to establishing a professional surfing career. As my son and I watched it, we were moved by both the stellar surfing and the deep truths found in the story. It was inspiring to see Noah and several of his childhood friends mature from mere thrill-seekers to young men embracing purpose, responsibility, and a relationship with God.
“the”
A panda walked into a café and ordered a sandwich. He ate it and then pulled a gun out and shot the waiter. The panda then plunked a badly punctuated wildlife manual onto the table. “Look me up,” he growled as he walked out the door. The wounded waiter opened the book to the entry for panda. It read, “Panda: Large, black and white bear-like mammal native to China. Eats, shoots & leaves.” This story illustrates the unfortunate consequences of a misplaced comma (the book should have read, “Eats shoots and leaves”).
at work
A group of us were sharing dinner and then we gave testimonies about a God who loves His people enough to speak His dreams into their hearts. We heard of an apartment complex for single mothers. A wedding barn and a Christian campground. A new local church being established. Common to all was the desire that God’s name would be made great through each respective leap of faith.
on the fence
Picture a car perched atop a metal fence—the front end on one side and the back bumper on the other side. Law enforcement agents discovered this unlikely scene when they foiled an attempt by smugglers to cross the US border from Mexico illegally. Two men had driven up ramps to the top of the 14-foot fence, and hoped to drive the car down the same way to their desired destination. When the border agents arrived on the scene, the men fled.
guilty as charged
I recently read of the acquittal of a teenage girl who had been accused of blasphemy under her country’s strict blasphemy laws. If she had been convicted, she would have been imprisoned for life. It was found, however, that a religious teacher had promoted false evidence to frame her.
evil
The problem of evil is the No. 1 reason people give for not believing in God. They assume that a good God would not allow for evil to exist, and an omnipotent God would be able to keep it out, so the existence of evil means God is either not all-good or not all-powerful. And so they conclude that there is no God.
titanic 101
When the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, evangelist John Harper was among the 1,522 people who died. After putting his 6-year-old daughter on a lifeboat, John ran throughout the ship and warned others about the eternal destiny of their souls. When he finally had to jump into the icy water, he clung to a piece of wreckage and asked another man, “Are you saved?” When the man answered, “No,” John said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). This man was the last convert of John Harper.
February 25, 2013
What do you think Paul meant when he wrote, "We live by believing and not by seeing" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
no longer acting
A gifted local actor was asked to play the part of Scrooge in an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for my friend’s church. The revised story included a scene where his crusty character broke down, confessed his sin, and received Jesus as his Savior. Each play practice, the actor struggled with the scene—for he was not a believer in Christ. On opening night, however, as he was spoke the scripted words of repentance and acceptance of God’s gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit moved in his heart and he gave his life to Jesus!
a house divided
Janice is an attractive woman in her mid-30s. She has looks, friends and a successful career. A few years ago she also became a Christian—to the horror of her atheist father. Since then her visits home have become more and more difficult. Each week her father pummels her with reasons why she should abandon her ‘fairy tale’ faith.
This relentless…
eyewitnesses
An eyewitness is one whose firsthand knowledge of a crime or an important event is used to ascertain the actual facts surrounding the event in a court of law. One witness is usually insufficient. “The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Paul reminded the Corinthians to remember what they…
why faith?
In an interview, pop music star Katy Perry stated that she wasn’t thrilled with her strict religious upbringing. “I didn’t have a childhood,” she lamented. “I’ve always been the kid who’s asked ‘Why?’ In my faith, you’re just supposed to have faith. But I was always like . . . why? At this point, I’m just kind of a drifter…
i believe that i know God
Romans 10: 1-4: Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their…
