Truth Inspires

Idyllic Beauty Just recently I was thinking about this issue of evil as opposed to the condition of things on the earth before sin entered the world, i.e., the Garden of Eden from Genesis 1-3. The picture the Bible reveals is idyllic and absent from evil. It tells us that in the beginning God had created the world to be a place of unending peace--a utopia for His creation. Then sin entered the picture. Col 1:17 states: "And He [Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things consist" In the original Greek, the word "consist," συνίστημι (sunistēmi) is a compound word with συν (son)and ιστημι (a "μι" verb), making one word from the two. When separated they mean "to gather or assemble," and "to stand," respectively. Compounded, they mean, "to come to be in a condition of coherence, continue, endure, exist, [and] hold together," (BDAG). The passage teaches that in Christ all things stand and are held fast togeth...

The earth will one day be cleansed by fire, (2 Peter 3:10) In my last post I introduced the biblical term, languish. In a nutshell, it means to "pine away," "waste away," or "wither away." It can be used in any context of the English language to mean anything that grows weak from lack of attention to keep a thing thriving. When something is in a state of languishing the only way it can come out of it is to be replenished or brought back to health. The Bible uses the term in much the same way as our English use. But an interesting context is introduced when it one day will apply to the planet earth and her inhabitants. For example the OT prophet Isaiah speaks of a coming time that will bring horrendous devastation upon all the earth. This will cause the earth to languish. Most scholars equate this time as the seven-year period of tribulation that will only come to an end at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. 19:7-11, Zech. 14:1-5, (see ...

I am back! Yes, after two years of extensive travel I am finally able to free up the time in becoming more regular in sharing my time and thoughts. What I have learned is that God in His greatness works in and through all those who will release the reigns of their lives to Him. During the weekly 12 hour commutes (round trips) to both Nashville, TN and West Des Moines, IA, I have been able to share my faith with many and across cultures. I have seen the Lord bring salvation to the lives of one family, expanded hope in many others, and the planting of the seeds of the gospel in others. Phil 2:13  "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Times and Seasons Since all believers have times and seasons, the question to ask is, how are we doing at being good stewards of that time with reference to the Lord's work? There is a term in the used in the Bible that I would be willing to say characterizes our use of time more than it should...