Christian Living

I stood in line at the grocery store and surveyed the man ahead of me. He was unmistakably a member of the US Armed Forces. Everything from the hat covering his crew cut to the boots he was walking in, exhibited his identity. As the cashier turned to him and kindly thanked him for his service, my mind rehearsed a quote I had heard recently: “A veteran is someone who wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life.” And I pondered whether I had ever handed my Lord a blank check?

Socrates, who is considered the first moral philosopher and the founder of Western philosophy, lived when the alphabet was first introduced to Greece. He famously declined to write anything down, so all of the teaching we have from him is lectures or debates recorded by his student Plato. In Phaedrus, a dialogue between Socrates and a character named Phaedrus, he speaks about writing. Writing, in his opinion, is harmful. It causes forgetfulness since a person no longer needs to remember, and it provides only incomplete understanding since it cannot be questioned.

When we think of a Christian’s devotional life, we likely think of the time that a Christian spends reading the Bible, meditating, and praying. This worship time may include journaling, singing, and fasting. New Christians are instructed to make this a daily discipline. In our Decrees, we go so far as to state: “It is further to be desired that personal devotional life with God is to be considered of more importance than Christian service.” Really?

Isaiah 40:31 is a favorite Bible verse for many people because of God’s promise to give weary people strength to continue on. But what exactly does it mean to wait upon the Lord? I like the Amplified definition, in brackets: But they that wait [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Take a close look at the little boy in this picture. Cute isn’t he? Nestled there in the “parent’s” arms, he looks secure and content.

What do we know about this lad?

The concept of obedience is very familiar to us. We were all supposed to have been taught this at a young age. But yet we need reminders, and succeeding generations will keep arising that need these concepts taught and reinforced.

In Psalm 133 we have two beautiful word pictures of unity in the brotherhood. It is true, however, that the word pictures written here are somewhat obscure to us. None of us were present when Aaron was anointed to initiate his priesthood office by his brother Moses. The stately reverence and awe of this occasion can only be imagined by those of us who never saw it. By the same token, very few of us have ever seen the Majesty of Mount Hermon nor visualized the geographic and life-inspiring beauty it is to the land of Israel and beyond.

What is a conviction?
Some will say it is no more than a personal opinion. Others define it as something for which you will be willing to die; any other position is simply a preference. Some teach that convictions are based on direct scriptural teaching. What does the Bible say?
The word ‘conviction’ is not found in the Bible. It is, however, related to three biblical words: convict, convince and conscience. The conscience is the inner sense of right or wrong. A conviction is the result of a convinced conscience.

It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Psa 118:8).
Why is it better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man? God is always faithful. He is always trustworthy. Many a morning, as we pray at the breakfast table, I reflect on the fact that the sun coming up reminds us of God’s faithfulness. None of us know of a day that the sun did not come up. None of us know of a day that gravity didn’t work. None of us know of a day when it was right to steal from our neighbor. None of us know of a day when it was right to murder our neighbor.

God is our loving Father Who created us and made the whole universe. When man sinned, He made a way for us to come back to Him. He loved us so much He sent Jesus His son to die for our sins. His son rose on His own power and offers us salvation so we can come back to our Father in Heaven. Through this, our loving Father sent an advocate the Holy Spirit to help us while we are still here on Earth. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three in one and all mankind need to come to Jesus and follow Him.