Spiritual Decay
Recently, I heard a sermon that touched on the second law of thermodynamics. I now understand a scientific principle and have been reminded of an important spiritual one!
two questions
Adam had eaten of the forbidden fruit and it was now time for him to face the music. God walked through the garden and “called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ ” (Genesis 3:9). Later, when God came to confront Cain for killing Abel, He asked, “Where is your brother?” (Genesis 4:9). This reminds us that those who reject God are apt to wound others.
gospel 101
Suppose there was a nonbeliever visiting your home church. At the end of the worship service, your pastor asked you to share the gospel with the guest. What would you say to him? What about the good news would you present?
temptations we face
This is the last snack I’m going to eat today, you tell yourself. Then 5 minutes later you’re looking for another one! Michael Moss, in his book Salt Sugar Fat, reveals how food companies study ways to “help” people crave junk food. Some of the food industry’s biggest names hire “crave consultants” to determine people’s “bliss points”—the conditions when food companies can optimize consumers’ cravings. One popular company spends $30 million a year to determine the bliss points of consumers.
heart condition
Every morning I pop a baby-strength aspirin. Heart disease runs in my family, and my doctor says it’s good for the health of my ticker.
the gift of time
Our 5-year-old son lives by a simple credo: Never, ever be bored! He’s always investigating, always testing, usually grubby, never still—not even in his sleep. Liam doesn’t share his father’s fear of heights or snakes, nor does he possess his mother’s good sense. His favorite phrase typically occurs too late for Mom, Dad, or older siblings to intervene. “Watch this!” he’ll announce as he begins his incautious leap to . . . wherever.
front to back
At the start of the movie Walk the Line, young Johnny Cash is talking with his older brother Jack who is hoping to become a preacher. Johnny is sad because he doesn’t know the Bible like his brother, who said, “If I’m going to be a preacher one day, I gotta know the Bible front to back. I mean, you can’t help nobody if you can’t tell them the right story.”
compassionate warnings
I said, “I’m here for you when you really want to seek God. Although I’ve tried to help you to follow Jesus, our times together have simply become you recounting your continued sins and lack of spiritual interest.” Then, after praying for him, I set him free from my attempts to disciple him. Sadly, he’s never been willing to humble himself, repent of his sins, and follow God.
truly human (again)
Last year at an international summit of world powers in Doha, the capital of Qatar, global leaders launched the Educate A Child project. The project seeks to build bridges between nations, calling us to recognize our shared humanity and to intervene on behalf of those at risk. Further, the project believes that funding children’s development will ultimately yield to a more peaceful world.
indicted or invited?
There are two ways most people tend to read the Bible. One is to read it mostly as an indictment of the human race. In other words, we’re sinful rebels who are bent on finding life apart from God.
new kind of father
Many people struggle in their daily life due to a poor relationship with their earthly fathers. I’ve counseled some who tend to humanize and view God through the lens of their negative experience. Many believers in Jesus also get tripped up in their relationship with their heavenly Father. If their earthly dads have failed them, it’s hard for them to believe that God won’t do the same.
rabble babble
Many years ago, I was counseling at a Christian camp when the program staff began to struggle. Why? Some of the counselors didn’t appreciate the way the director was leading, so they started to complain. As the complaints spread, more people joined in. By the end of the week, the staff had become polarized and the whole camp had been affected by the tempestuous situation.
losing ourselves
James Hunter, a sociology professor at a large university, highlights the shift from shared moral foundations to individual choices that shift and vacillate. He says, “Most Americans continue to think of their lives in moral terms; they want to live good lives, but they are more uncertain about what the nature of the good is.”
needing God
When Palestinian Tass Saada was just 17 years old, he joined the Fatah movement in the West Bank. Tass hated Jews and engaged in guerilla warfare against them. He became known as “Butcher” due to the many Israeli soldiers he killed as a sniper. But later, Tass surrendered His life to Jesus and now loves God and the Jews. His ministry in the Middle East is called Seeds of Hope. Tass works to provide modern necessities for Palestinians who live in the West Bank, while he also builds relational bridges between them and their Jewish neighbors.
exercised
On all fours with the grass pressing into my hands and knees, I was already backing out of my goal. I had recently enlisted the help of a friend to improve my muscle strength and endurance. On this particular night, we were at a local park doing conditioning exercises and cardio. While my legs were completing the lifting exercises to strengthen my muscles, my mind desperately looked for a way out of having to run the last lap of our workout. I was convinced I had nothing left.
