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Sufferings

                 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4) I’ve said what I’m going to say before, but sometimes, we need a reminder. We like to think that anything that happens to us that we don’t like is evil. And, we might be right, but the thing about evil, or even about hard things that aren’t evil, is that they build resilience. They build perseverance, which builds character, which gives us the capacity to hope. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know this. At least, we think we know this until something tough or evil comes along. Yesterday, I went to the doctor’s for a check in more than a checkup. As a result, I ended up making a phone call to set up another appointment. Yep, the medical merry-go-round. Both the people I talked to congratulated me on making the decision to get my knee replaced. I know it’s a good dec...
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All Scripture

                 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)               All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17)                 To be a Christian means to be a student of Christianity. To be a Muslim means to be a student of Islam. To be a scientist means to be a student of science. Whatever philosophy, religion, worldview, etc., you happen to claim, simply claiming to be one doesn’t make you one. They all require study, obedience, and the rejection of other, rival perspectives. The prob...
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Picking Favorites

                 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Corinthians 13:14) We know there’s a Trinity out there that we don’t understand, and Scripture isn’t really clear about which one is supposed to do what. In other words, they’re not exactly definable or controllable. This is one of the things I think is attractive about a pantheon. Mars/Arez is the god of war. Ceres is the goddess of grain. Hermes/Mercury is the god of medicine. If you have a need, you pick the god who has authority over that matter. It’s like choosing the right store. But God doesn’t work that way. He’s a package deal.  You get all three or you get none. You can’t pit them against each other. There’s no competition, no disagreement. If you don’t like the answer one member of the Trinity gives, it’s a waste of time going to a different member in hopes of a different answer. De...
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He Is Faithful

                  Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because He is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before . (Joel 2:23)                 This was the verse chosen by BibleGateway.com for the day. I try to use them so I’m not writing about the same things all the time. It’s also a verse I’d like to hold God to. In fact, I’d like Him to provide summer rains, too. Of course, the passage makes it clear that it wasn’t a promise, and it was specific to Zion, not to me on a hill over one of the Great Lakes, where water is available whenever we want it, as long as we pay the price. So the verse might not seem to apply to me, or to you wherever you are.                ...
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Unwholesome Talk

                  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)                 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. (James 3:7-9)                 It’s not unusual for people to think that attacking another person is the means by which to convince them to change their minds. In some circles, these attacks are recognized as ad hominems attacks, and wi...
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Valuing Others

               Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)                 First, to be very clear, this isn’t a call for “us” to make the interest of everyone on Earth more important or more valid than ours. It addresses our behavior toward other Christians in our community. This is not to say that we should never look to the interest of non-Christians. It simply means that doing so is not the same as looking to the interest of our fellow-believers, and not as high a priority. It also does not mean believing, saying, feeling, or doing whatever someone wants us to. Looking to the interest of another can mean confronting them about what they believe, say, feel, or do with both love and truth.    ...
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Idols

                  But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3-5)                 For those of us who are older, or have been attending church longer, we tend to read the first sentence and agree. Yes, those are standard “big sins” that should be avoided. We may not have as much against them personally as we might, but they’re the traditional things to avoid. But then the passage says “Nor should there be…” and things get a little more difficult. No obscenity? No foolish talk? No...
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