Why Believe In A God?

Alex Motes

This Christmas season, people who ride the bus in the D.C. area will see a different type of advertisement on a few buses. The American Humanist Association is putting an ad on busses that will read “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake.” Fred Edwards, a spokesperson for the association said that they were trying to plant a seed of rational thought, critical thinking and questioning in people's minds.

Was I Ever Lucky

Mike King

A very amusing, but provocative, illustration appeared in a publication by Alan Smith recently. He told of a man who had just filled his car with gas at a self-service station. He had paid for his gas and driven away only to realize that he had failed to put his gas cap back on, but had left it on top of his car. When he stopped, he found it gone just as he had expected.

In seeking a solution, he reasoned that if he would do that, others must have done the same thing. He returned to the spot where it most likely would have fallen, thinking he might find one someone else had lost that might fit, if not his.

Just as he had hoped, following a brief search, he found a gas cap. He wiped it off and slipped it on with a satisfying click.

The Fruit of Everyday Meekness

David McDonald

Last week as we began to look at the Fruit of the Spirit, meekness, we observed the two opposing views of meekness, the world view and the biblical view.

Meekness is a characteristic self-attributed by Jesus Himself in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Paul also attributed the spirit of meekness to Jesus (2 Cor. 10:1). The attitude of meekness, as it is exhibited in the Fruit of the Spirit and in other instructions in the New Testament, is often associated with forgiveness and forbearance (Eph. 4:1-2; Col. 3:12-14). We are told in 1 Timothy 6:11 that the “man of God” follows after “meekness.” In Titus 3:2, Paul states that we are, “To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.”

Let Us Challenge The Status Quo

By Tom Lucas

There was a song written for an Alfred Hitch*censored* film in the 50’s that was titled “Que Sera Sera,” which means “whatever will be, will be.” The phrase simply means that things usually go according to the way they always have gone, or to use another phrase, “keeping the Status Quo.” Most all of us have participated in this type of logic at some point. Whether it is wearing what other people wear, talking like other people talk, or acting the way other people act, we all have at one point in our lives attempted to just fit in for the purpose of acceptance. I was talking the other day with someone about wearing parachute pants when we were young because it was the cool thing to do. YIKES!

Lay Aside Every Weight

Mike King

The Hebrew writer was very definite when he instructed his readers to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:2).

Knowing For Sure That We Have It

Mike King

Many have questioned whether or not they truly have eternal life and a surety of a relationship with God. John felt that the Christian should be secure. He wrote, “These things have I written you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 Jn. 5:13). We must not assume that we have eternal life while ignoring what God tells us is necessary to have it! How can we determine?

Goodness in Our First Love

David McDonald

Last week, we introduced the fruit of the Spirit, goodness. We studied the word and learned it is important to do the right thing. We also looked at its close relation to the fruit of kindness and when combined we are not only to do the right thing, but as importantly, do it the right way.

Faithfulness in Our Walk Despite

David McDonald

Last time, we introduced the fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness, as defined by Paul (Gal. 5:22-23). The faithfulness described here is a Fruit we must produce in our Christian walk. It is defined in the way we deal with situations and those around us.

We often forget what God has really promised us. While we forget what He has promised us, we tend to make His promises something they never were intended to be. God did promise us that He would never forsake us and that there would be no temptation put before us, but what there would be a way of escape. There would never be a burden we could not bear due to the fact that God is faithful in His promises (Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

An Appropriate Proclamation

Mike King