"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:14-17).
As I was reading an Israeli news service this morning, Arutz-Sheva, a column by Jeff Jacoby* caught my eye. I want to share a blurb from that column because it demonstrates how faith in God is a blessing to the world.
"The Los Angeles Times reported last year on research showing that people without faith were less likely to help a poor or homeless person than religious believers. While both were equally likely to describe themselves as 'good citizens,' their charitable practices were strikingly different. Americans of no faith donated an annual average of two hundred dollars to charity; active-faith adults typically contributed fifteen hundred dollars. Even when church-based giving was subtracted from the mix, religious Americans donated twice as much to charity as the nonreligious."
The political liberals believe that taxes are a form of giving, and while legislating them for everyone else, will enact special privileges for themselves to avoid paying their fair share. While people of faith, after being over-taxed, will dig down and give more to those in need. See how faith and love make a difference?
Grace&Peace,
Tom
*Jacoby is a columnist for the Boston Globe.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
THE NEW BIRTH
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew'''(John 3:5-7).
I'm reading a book, for the second time, called, Encounters with Christ, by Mark Moore. It is in Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus that Dr. Moore makes the comment, "The reason we enter as new-borns is because nothing of our old life is relevant to the new . . . The truth is, unless we come humbled and barren, with empty hands and open hearts, then access to the kingdom is denied. There are no shortcuts, no alternate routes. All must pass the way of the cross."
Moore's comment is a great comment, but it set me to thinking, "Are you sure that nothing of the old is relevant to the new? It is true that nothing of the old life is relevant to the attainment of the new life, but in terms of performance, there is much in the old life that is relevant to the new life." Think about it: We are still saddled with the same genetic code; we still have to deal with the negative dynamics of traumatic life experiences; and we are still immersed in a flood of the world's influences. How are we to survive the new birth in view of all this?
We have a new identity--we are God's children now. "Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new is come" (II Corinthians 5:17). In Christ, we have a new standing, with new privileges and promises that were not available to us before.
In the new birth there is a new dynamic that is unleashed in our lives that is more powerful than the world, the flesh and the devil; the Spirit of God. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (II Corinthians 3:18). If you are looking to our Heavenly Father for guidance and sustenance then you will survive the new birth and grow into a fine child of God. I can't wait for the great family reunion!
Grace&Peace,
Tom
I'm reading a book, for the second time, called, Encounters with Christ, by Mark Moore. It is in Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus that Dr. Moore makes the comment, "The reason we enter as new-borns is because nothing of our old life is relevant to the new . . . The truth is, unless we come humbled and barren, with empty hands and open hearts, then access to the kingdom is denied. There are no shortcuts, no alternate routes. All must pass the way of the cross."
Moore's comment is a great comment, but it set me to thinking, "Are you sure that nothing of the old is relevant to the new? It is true that nothing of the old life is relevant to the attainment of the new life, but in terms of performance, there is much in the old life that is relevant to the new life." Think about it: We are still saddled with the same genetic code; we still have to deal with the negative dynamics of traumatic life experiences; and we are still immersed in a flood of the world's influences. How are we to survive the new birth in view of all this?
We have a new identity--we are God's children now. "Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new is come" (II Corinthians 5:17). In Christ, we have a new standing, with new privileges and promises that were not available to us before.
In the new birth there is a new dynamic that is unleashed in our lives that is more powerful than the world, the flesh and the devil; the Spirit of God. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (II Corinthians 3:18). If you are looking to our Heavenly Father for guidance and sustenance then you will survive the new birth and grow into a fine child of God. I can't wait for the great family reunion!
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
FINDING THE TRUTH
"See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition . . . and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
The average U.S. girl has the opportunity to see 77,546 commercials by the time she is 12 years old.*
One hundred twenty seven million Americans visit WalMart each week, while only 68 million watch the networks evening news.** The one who reported that statistic makes it sound like a bad thing that so few watch the network evening news. However, I see it as a good thing because the main-stream media is so slanted toward liberalism. Any attempt at objectivity has been lost. This election cycle, the main-stream media was in bed with Obama. It is tough to find objective reporting these days, but it certainly does not come from the network's evening news. One probably gets a better perspective about reality at WalMart.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
*The Foster Report.
** TFR
The average U.S. girl has the opportunity to see 77,546 commercials by the time she is 12 years old.*
One hundred twenty seven million Americans visit WalMart each week, while only 68 million watch the networks evening news.** The one who reported that statistic makes it sound like a bad thing that so few watch the network evening news. However, I see it as a good thing because the main-stream media is so slanted toward liberalism. Any attempt at objectivity has been lost. This election cycle, the main-stream media was in bed with Obama. It is tough to find objective reporting these days, but it certainly does not come from the network's evening news. One probably gets a better perspective about reality at WalMart.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
*The Foster Report.
** TFR
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A TABLE GRACE
"God, when we don't have food to suit our taste, then please give us the taste to suit our food" (Eugene Morse, author of Exodus to a Hidden Valley). One of the Morse families main sources of food was atu pith. It required processing and didn't taste good but it was nutritious. This was the Morse family prayer for it.
The Morse family were missionaries in north Burma when the Communists took over the government. They were given expulsion orders. The family and about 2,000 Lisu tribal people made a westward trek to the Indian border, but were not allowed in, so, they made their home in a valley in the unsurveyed border area between India and Burma. It is an inspiring story that was published by Readers Digest in 1974. It is a story about God's provision, the value of freedom and simple Christian faith. If you can find the book, give it a read! It will increase your faith! I just finished it.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
The Morse family were missionaries in north Burma when the Communists took over the government. They were given expulsion orders. The family and about 2,000 Lisu tribal people made a westward trek to the Indian border, but were not allowed in, so, they made their home in a valley in the unsurveyed border area between India and Burma. It is an inspiring story that was published by Readers Digest in 1974. It is a story about God's provision, the value of freedom and simple Christian faith. If you can find the book, give it a read! It will increase your faith! I just finished it.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Thursday, November 06, 2008
ELECTION THOUGHTS
"Then the angel said to me, 'The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages" (Revelation 17:15).
Have you ever sat on the beach and watched the waves come into shore? Have you ever watched the tide come in or go out? A preacher friend of mine was wading in waist-deep water on a Florida beach. Who would have thought he could have been swept out into the ocean nearly a mile? Even though the waters look calm, the waters are alive with currents.
So it is with people. The most quiet people can have the strongest emotions within them. With people groups there are certainly ebbs and flows of emotions, values. There is never stasis!
We witnessed the ebb and flow of the American people in the election on Tuesday. To me it was personally disheartening to see the expansion of liberalism. In my view, it will destroy America, but if that is the change the American people want, so be it. The positive results of the election were: A black man was elected as president, and homosexual marriage was blocked in California. The courts will probably over-rule the will of the people on that issue, however.
Obama is my President. Conservatives will certainly treat him with much more respect than liberals treated President Bush. The liberals publicly called for Bush's assassination, and hurled every insult imaginable at him. Yet, in twenty years it will be recognized that Bush was one of our better presidents. In this financial crisis, brought on by Democrat congressional leadership in both houses, we are finding out that the economy of the United States is still the strongest in the world! (Note the strength of the dollar.) We have not had a terrorist attack on America since 911. Bush could have done much better, but if Obama does as well, we will be blessed.
As Christian people, our citizenship is in heaven; there is our hope. Utopia will not be found on earth! There will always be ebbs, flows and even stormy seas when it seems that all is lost, but the Christian's hope is in the one who cannot be shaken, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I think one of the lessons that Christians should learn from this election is the futility of pushing Christian values on the non Christian through political power. Christian values are accepted by hearts that have surrendered to Jesus Christ. Not everyone who calls himself a Christian is one if they only have accepted Jesus as Savior, but never surrendered to Him as Lord.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Have you ever sat on the beach and watched the waves come into shore? Have you ever watched the tide come in or go out? A preacher friend of mine was wading in waist-deep water on a Florida beach. Who would have thought he could have been swept out into the ocean nearly a mile? Even though the waters look calm, the waters are alive with currents.
So it is with people. The most quiet people can have the strongest emotions within them. With people groups there are certainly ebbs and flows of emotions, values. There is never stasis!
We witnessed the ebb and flow of the American people in the election on Tuesday. To me it was personally disheartening to see the expansion of liberalism. In my view, it will destroy America, but if that is the change the American people want, so be it. The positive results of the election were: A black man was elected as president, and homosexual marriage was blocked in California. The courts will probably over-rule the will of the people on that issue, however.
Obama is my President. Conservatives will certainly treat him with much more respect than liberals treated President Bush. The liberals publicly called for Bush's assassination, and hurled every insult imaginable at him. Yet, in twenty years it will be recognized that Bush was one of our better presidents. In this financial crisis, brought on by Democrat congressional leadership in both houses, we are finding out that the economy of the United States is still the strongest in the world! (Note the strength of the dollar.) We have not had a terrorist attack on America since 911. Bush could have done much better, but if Obama does as well, we will be blessed.
As Christian people, our citizenship is in heaven; there is our hope. Utopia will not be found on earth! There will always be ebbs, flows and even stormy seas when it seems that all is lost, but the Christian's hope is in the one who cannot be shaken, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I think one of the lessons that Christians should learn from this election is the futility of pushing Christian values on the non Christian through political power. Christian values are accepted by hearts that have surrendered to Jesus Christ. Not everyone who calls himself a Christian is one if they only have accepted Jesus as Savior, but never surrendered to Him as Lord.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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