Every year people spend billions of dollars to look younger, stay healthier, and live longer. Most people want to live a long life. I want to be around to hang out with my grandchildren, in fact, I want to dance at their weddings!
If people spend billions of dollars to “live longer,” what might they pay to live forever? Living forever to some may just be a fairy tale, or science fiction. But, it is not only God’s desire for all human beings to live forever, but He came up with
I posted this last year, and, and in 2015. it’s still a powerful song.
Alan Jackson first performed this song, November 7, 2001, at the CMA Awards, barely two months after the horrific and devastating events on 9/11, . Ten years later, he talked about how he came to write the song.
The video I posted last year has been pulled off YouTube, due to a copyright claim by Country Music Association, Inc.. I found another video, which is not from the CMA Awards.
For me, the song is still just as inspiring today as it was 16 years ago. How about you?
We Join Thousands And Thousands Who Continue To Pray.
Prayers for all those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Prayers for all those affected by the dozens of fires, especially in the Western United States.
And now, prayers for those bracing for Hurricane Irma.
Yes, there’s always a lot of things to pray for, but in these recent days, there’s a lot more!
On a recent visit to see our new granddaughter in Charleston, South Carolina, I got to take my son’s dog for a walk a couple of times. While it was no match for spending time with baby Betsy Rose, I really enjoyed it. Jack is a “golden,” and he’s a great dog.
On one of those walks, I was reminded of something I saw years ago on an episode of Dog Whisperer, where a lady told Cesar Millan what she said to her dog when it misbehaved. It was a very long sentence, threatening to take him to the pound if he ever did it again. Cesar looked at her and said, “And you really think he understood all that?”
Humans and animals are indeed made differently. It’s not our brain size that distinguishes us from all the animals. While they may be really cool creatures, there are obviously many striking differences. Here are just a few:
Why Did The Creator Make Us This Way?
There’s a verse in Psalm 139 that talks about how we humans are fearfully and wonderfully made. That means distinctly awesome, or distinguished. But why did God single out human beings to be made in that way? Why did He purposely make us awesomely unique?
Those awesome, distinct qualities I mentioned above, and many more, we have as human beings. Animals do not. The Creator purposely and intentionally gave us free will to choose, and a desire to seek and know a higher power. It is built in; He made me this way.
God did not make us to seek Him and worship Him instinctively, or automatically, like breathing. We breath without thinking; we blink without giving it a thought. Rather, God designed human beings so that worshiping Him would be our free choice. He made us so we could, if we choose, freely seek Him, freely worship Him, freely love Him. He made me this way.
Looking For God
Over the centuries, and to this day, there are those who seek and find the Creator. There are others who choose to worship something other than the One true God. The Bible, in a number of places, refers to the latter as “strange gods.” At one place it says they, “worshipped and served the creature [creation] more than the Creator.”
God certainly knew He was taking a big chance by giving us free will. He could have made us robots – human drones that just automatically praised Him all day long. He didn’t want that.
But the very first two humans used their freedom of will to make a very, very bad choice. In order to fix that catastrophic mess, God sent His Son to atone, to pay the price necessary for all human beings.
And now, as a result of His Son’s completed work, any human being can choose to accept Christ or not. Isn’t it stunningly remarkable that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
True Or Not?
God made made me this way. I can choose to believe anything I want to believe. But just because I believe something, doesn’t make it true; just because I don’t believe something doesn’t make it not true.
The Creator gave us free will not so we would determine what is true, but so we could choose to believe what is true. Truth is truth, period. Truth is truth whether everyone believes it or no one believes it.
We human beings are awesomely unique and distinct in having free will. We can choose to seek and find God, the Creator, in His written Word that He gave so we could know Him, love Him and worship Him. In doing so, we will clearly see His Son, Jesus Christ, is God’s promise and plan to give any human being everlasting life.
Jack is a great dog. But it is baby Betsy Rose who can someday choose to accept Christ and gain eternal life. God made her that way!
Truth is truth regardless of who speaks it. An evil person or a good person could each declare the earth orbits the sun. They would both be correct.
Truth is truth whether anyone believes it or not. Someone who believes the earth orbits the sun does not make it true. Someone who doesn’t believe the earth orbits the sun does not make it untrue.
Are Your Beliefs Based On What Is True? What?
Ask that question to a thousand people and I doubt anyone would answer, “Oh, no; my beliefs are based on things that are not true.” We all believe what we
I recently read an article about Bible studies at the White house. I was not aware how long it’s been since this has happened. There is a link to that article below.
It reminded me to continue to pray for all our leaders.
I Timothy 2:1 and 2
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Winning and whining – we do have a choice.
John Maxwell once said, “The difference between winners and whiners is, winners, they know they have to do the right things and then they feel good; whiners, they want to feel good before they do the right thing.”
The dictionary defines a whiner: “a person who makes frequent complaints usually about little things; an irritable and complaining person.”
Whiners complain. They are negative, pessimistic, and blame others; they sniffle, grumble and grovel; they rarely
This song is especially encouraging when going through a tough time. I posted it three months ago. I hope it is encouraging to you – it is to me!
Oh My Soul is a song from, Casting Crowns. The lyrics are on the video.
Lots of employees see themselves as just “working for the man,” meaning they are working for the boss or owner in order to make them rich. Some have distorted perspectives about business owners which then leads toward resentment. Why do so many not understand some basics about working for someone?
Recently I spent seven years working, as an employee, for a brand new company. It started very small; 3 owners, two technicians in the field, and me doing all the book work and payroll from my home. After about 3 months we were
This July 4th marks the 241st anniversary of the USA. One of our founding fathers, John Adams, talked about remembering and celebrating this anniversary:
“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” John Adams
Those who fought for the freedoms for the new country, while having differing opinions, knew we needed to
