Truth Inspires

You can't beat the weather: Spring is too rainy and summer's too hot; Fall is soon over and winter is not.* An astute observer would note the poetic verse above had to be written in the season of winter and probably on a bad hair day! All too well we know the feeling and we chuckle along with the author. But, nevertheless, the seasonal cycle does continue; winter does fade and soon gives birth to the spring of new life. And new life is what I want to speak of for a moment.  Often, I find myself looking through history books and reading old news articles, all the while thinking, the writer, the characters and all involved have long passed on to eternity. I wonder what they thought of the future ahead--the days they would never see? You see, life does go on. No matter how inconspicuous and shifting it may be to us, it has its own life, its own people, its own places, and its own news. For most, a glimpse of our future will never be known. But there was such a one who d...

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 ...

Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys                                                                                                                                - Ex. 40:36–38  Artists have tried to depict it, film-makers have tried to capture it, and authors have tried to describe it, but meticulous as our efforts ma...

St. Luke being hung   Throughout the ages the Bible has always withstood any ravages against it and Christians have always upheld it for good reason. Through it we learn about God and our eternal destiny. It teaches us, leads us, and through the presence of the Holy Spirit, illuminates us to its truths, while simultaneously, transforming us from one glory (the old man) into another glory (the new man). In it we find hope, comfort, healing, and joy. But not all people share our joy and adoration of the Lord and His word. Today, in America, Christians stand as a people that many believe will be silenced because of our convictions. Vice President Joe Biden is just one of the latest voices to bring such a charge. According to OneNewsNow.com, the VP, with reference to Dr. Ben Carson, not only took the name of the Lord in vain (showing his uncouth behavior -- for from the heart the mouth speaks) but he went on to slam Christians as a shrinking population implying our voice i...

Once in awhile, especially when my mind is overloaded, I just need to sit and relax with my thoughts. What I find is during those times my mind almost always turns to wondering why so many refuse to believe in Jesus. Some reasons are obvious, fear of what friends and family might think. Fear of walking into a church and wondering what others may think. Fear of losing the party life. Fear of being called hurtful names. The list is endless. But what bothers me most is the attitude that one does need to worry about what God thinks because He is a God of love that would never hold anyone accountable.These are always the first to scream and curse at God the moment tragedy strikes. It is then they become angry because He did not live up to their imaginary view. Having a faulty view of God is one of the biggest hindrances to ones salvation. It causes people to imagine that God must live up to what and who they say He is and not what the Scripture reveals Him as. When He doesn't live up...