Are all forms of pain bad?
I had a Facebook conversation with a guy the other day who thought that it was torture to tell a kid about Hell. I had to concede that it isn’t fun to tell a person about Hell, neither is it fun hearing that you are going there. I know something how it feels when people make you feel just awful, but is it that always bad?
The day that I was told that I had cancer was a TERRIBLE day, you could almost say that I had been tortured. But now imagine that the doctor had “loved” me too much to tell me that I had cancer, what would have happened. Cancer would have killed me by now, a very slow and PAINFUL death! As much as the emotional pain, and the physical pain that I received with the diagnosis, I doubt the pain comes anywhere close to the pain that my family and I would have endured if my doctor just kept his mouth shut and let me die a slow painful death.
Sin is like cancer. You often don’t see the toll that it is taking on your body till it is too late. But the damage is there. Sin has many consequences and many of those don’t wait until you face literal Hell before they kick in. The earthly consequences of stealing a cookie are not that bad, but how many of us stop at stealing a cookie? Drugs addle the brain that God gives us, sometimes causing them to steal or to do unspeakable things to get more drugs, breaks up families, ends jobs, some strip you of all of your good looks. Sex-related sins cause disease, have incited murder, broken up families, led to abortion, infertility, not to mention the damage that broken homes have done to our children! It rots your soul, sometimes slowly and sometimes lighting fast.
Convincing someone they need grace may hurt them for the time being but in the end, it is saving them a world of hurt!
Tact
The Myth That Same-Sex Parenting Makes No Difference | Stand to Reason
It’s often claimed there’s no difference in the lives of children raised by same-sex couples when compared to the lives of children raised by heterosexual couples. Recent research published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, drawing on the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, suggests there is a difference. The children raised by lesbian couples were compared with a sample of children from the 2013–2015 National Survey of Family Growth, which is a nationally representative database of families.It turns out—not surprisingly in my opinion—that same-sex parenting does affect children.
Read more at: The Myth That Same-Sex Parenting Makes No Difference | Stand to Reason
Where the Evidence Led Me by Terrell Clemmons – Salvo Magazine
A Review of Heretic: One Scientist’s Journey from Darwin to Design, by Matti Leisola & Jonathan Witt
As a student beginning his scientific studies in 1966, Finnish biochemist Matti Leisola used to laugh at Christians who “placed God in the gaps of scientific knowledge,” as the criticism often went. As he saw it, those people lacked the patience and level-headedness that he possessed. After hearing Francis Schaeffer speak in 1972, though, he realized his concept of truth was naïve. He bought several of Schaeffer’s books and began to study philosophy, a subject he had previously considered of little value. At some point, he realized the god-of-the-gaps criticism cut both ways since a functional atheist could also insert a pat explanation into any knowledge gap.
Read more at : Where the Evidence Led Me by Terrell Clemmons – Salvo Magazine
Empirical Evidence – Verifiable Faith –
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life…” 1 John 1:1
Empirical Evidence – Test with the Senses Notice in this verse how John testifies to the truth by what he heard, saw and touched. All of this was empirical evidence of the risen Lord. Empirical evidence is what scientists base their discoveries on; it’s what you can test with the five senses. This kind of evidence is easy to believe because it’s tangible. Faith is Not Blind – Our Assurance is Based on Empirical Evidence
Read more at: Empirical Evidence – Verifiable Faith – Homeschool 101
People pleasing
Life demands that we please certain people at least some of the time; our boss, our spouse, police officers… But trying to please everyone all the time is like drinking from a colander, you might get a few sips, but mostly you get all wet! Jesus, however, notices every effort we make. Even if you don’t succeed in your efforts, if you are trying to please him, he will recognize that effort.
No, it isn’t selfish to say that you only want to please Jesus because if you are pleasing Jesus you will love your family, love the sick, the downtrodden, and even your enemies. Some of those people will not appreciate your efforts, but if you are doing those things because you love Jesus there will always be one that is pleased by you.
Kingdom Triangle
Our society is facing a terrible crisis. Many people feel as if there is no meaning in life, and we have lost our moral code. JP Moreland explores how we can recover the Christian mind, renovate Christian spirituality, and cultivate the power of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in the world today.
