As we enjoy the wonderful fall weather, it is a great time for a picnic. As my wife was preparing for our outing, she mentioned that the cooler was down in the basement. Deciding to be helpful, I went down to get it. The boys were already in bed. It was dark outside, and the house was quiet. She did not realize I had gone down to the basement and as she began to descend the steps, I came around the corner carrying the cooler. Of course, my unexpected presence startled her.
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Many are also startled by the uncertainty of eternity. A prominent religious leader was recently asked if someone who does not believe in God could go to heaven.
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As I heard the question, my thoughts went, not to what certain clergy believe, but to what does the Bible say. In other words, if I had to answer that question, would I be able to give scripture to support an answer?
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One of the first passages that comes to mind is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This passage obviously relates eternal life with belief, but does it exclude unbelievers? In order to answer that question, we must look not just at one isolated verse, but also at the verses around it. 20 verses later, we read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
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As we look to these scriptures we find that the Bible teaches that we must believe in more than just some generic creator God, but that we must believe in Jesus Christ. Consider as well, John 14:6 NKJV, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Acts 4:12 NKJV states, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
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Still the question might be asked, “Why would God hold someone accountable to Him when they don’t even believe in Him?” The book of Romans in the Bible helps to answer that question. In chapter 1 vs. 20 we are told that creation is a testimony to God’s existence so that the unbelievers are without excuse. Then in Romans chapter 2, verses 14-15, we see that even those who do not have the word of God, still have a conscience to convict them of their wrongdoing. This leads us to chapter 3, where we are told in vs. 10 that there is none righteous, no not one and vs. 23 were it says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
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So creation shows us that there is a creator God. Our conscience shows us we are sinners. If that were all the farther we went in our discussion, the Bible would be far more frightening than even an intruder in the basement, but look at what it says toward the end of Romans 3, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:24-26 NKJV).
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Even though the consequences of sin and unbelief are serious and scary, God loves us so much that He sent His son to provide forgiveness to those who believe. Take comfort in the words of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Be Humble Enough to Laugh
My wife and I had an argument in the middle of the night. We were both dreaming and then we both started to talk in our sleep- actually more like half asleep. She was dreaming about braiding a strap for one of her projects and I was dreaming about laying cement block. Suddenly she said out loud to use the strap. Since I did not think that a strap should be used on the block, I told her so. I then woke up enough to realize she had been talking in her sleep while still not understanding that I had been doing the same myself.
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We both began to drift back to sleep, but then I decided to roll from my back onto my side. Suddenly she warned, “be careful!”. Thinking I may have accidentally pulled her hair I asked what was wrong. The response, “You are going to knock them over.” Realizing she was talking in her sleep again, I chuckled and said that at least they would fall on the bed. She then told me not to be so sarcastic.
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The scripture says in Ephesians 4:26 not to let the sun go down upon your wrath. Well the sun had not even come up yet, so I figure it was okay that I just let her fall back to sleep even though she seemed to be upset with me.
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The next day I asked her if she remembered our conversation from the middle of the night. She did and she also began to laugh. I knew then that there was no worry about her going to bed angry.
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As funny as all this sounds, the tension between Crystal and I was very real during our argument even though we were not fully awake. Other times it has been just as real when we have been awake. Any time two people spend a lot of time together it should not surprise us that disagreements and even anger will result. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
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Sometimes I am the one who sins and causes the tension. Sometimes it is Crystal. Often it is both of us. Sometimes we just misunderstand each other.
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So how do we go to bed at night without being mad after something has caused tension between us? The answer is to set aside pride. If I am the one who sinned, I have to swallow my pride and admit it. If she is the one who sinned, I have to set aside my pride and forgive her. If it was a misunderstanding, then each of us has to be humble enough to admit that we did not grasp what was going on. Proverbs 13:10 affirms, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
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James 4:1 states, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (NKJV) Why do we fight to get our pleasures? Because we are so proud that we think that what we want is the most important thing. In order to get along with each other, we need to humble ourselves.
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After our middle of the night fight, Crystal and I were both able to look at ourselves and laugh. Essentially we were humble enough to see the humor instead of so arrogant that we were upset with each other. May we all set aside our pride so that we get along with each other.
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We both began to drift back to sleep, but then I decided to roll from my back onto my side. Suddenly she warned, “be careful!”. Thinking I may have accidentally pulled her hair I asked what was wrong. The response, “You are going to knock them over.” Realizing she was talking in her sleep again, I chuckled and said that at least they would fall on the bed. She then told me not to be so sarcastic.
-
The scripture says in Ephesians 4:26 not to let the sun go down upon your wrath. Well the sun had not even come up yet, so I figure it was okay that I just let her fall back to sleep even though she seemed to be upset with me.
-
The next day I asked her if she remembered our conversation from the middle of the night. She did and she also began to laugh. I knew then that there was no worry about her going to bed angry.
-
As funny as all this sounds, the tension between Crystal and I was very real during our argument even though we were not fully awake. Other times it has been just as real when we have been awake. Any time two people spend a lot of time together it should not surprise us that disagreements and even anger will result. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
-
Sometimes I am the one who sins and causes the tension. Sometimes it is Crystal. Often it is both of us. Sometimes we just misunderstand each other.
-
So how do we go to bed at night without being mad after something has caused tension between us? The answer is to set aside pride. If I am the one who sinned, I have to swallow my pride and admit it. If she is the one who sinned, I have to set aside my pride and forgive her. If it was a misunderstanding, then each of us has to be humble enough to admit that we did not grasp what was going on. Proverbs 13:10 affirms, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
-
James 4:1 states, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (NKJV) Why do we fight to get our pleasures? Because we are so proud that we think that what we want is the most important thing. In order to get along with each other, we need to humble ourselves.
-
After our middle of the night fight, Crystal and I were both able to look at ourselves and laugh. Essentially we were humble enough to see the humor instead of so arrogant that we were upset with each other. May we all set aside our pride so that we get along with each other.
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