Pray with Me

Dear God,

Reveal yourself to me today. Enter my world, take me by the hand, and lead me down your paths of righteousness. Make me an instrument of your will, and help me to bestow on others the blessings you have bestowed upon me. Help me to endure the evil of this world, and forgive me where I have offended you or others along the way. Grant me your love, your joy, and your peace in the midst of these days of conflict and unrest. Give me the strength and the courage to do your will, and let me know that all things work together for good for those who love you. Let your will be done in my life.

~s.f. beagles

 

The Trinity Prayer

Lord Jesus, give me words to sing for you,

Grant me by your spirit words of truth;

Open up the floodgates of your grace,

Let me see the sunlight of your face.

Our Father, Take my heart and make it yours,

Let your glory shine from heaven’s door;

Guide me in your wisdom all my days,

I worship you the truth, the life, the way.

Spirit, guide my heart and comfort me,

Cast all doubt into the darkest sea;

Plant your wisdom deep within my soul,

Let your love shine bright and make me whole.

Divine Light in a Dark World

 

God is calling me to be a giver and not a taker. We receive from God, so that we may give to the world. It is only when we empty ourselves that we receive a new supply of God’s power. Only when we keep this cycle going are we able to be God’s light shining in the darkness.

Where is God when we Suffer?

 

During hardship and trial it is helpful to remember that we are but pilgrims in a strange land, and that our citizenship is in heaven. Where is God when He allows us to suffer? He is suffering with us. He never gives us a trial without first giving us the strength to endure. None of the suffering we endure on earth compares to the eternity of bliss that awaits us in the Kingdom of God. Jesus suffered and died, so we could escape this world of sin and death. Let us receive the rewards of heaven through our blessed Lord.

Truth: The Solid Rock of Absolutes or the Shifting Sands of Relativism

Francis Schaeffer, in his book The God who is there, writes about a philosophical shift in how people in Europe and the United States viewed the concept of truth.

As a result of this shift from a traditional view to a modern view, many Christian scholars are unprepared to defend the absolute view of reality. Schaeffer states, “The floodwaters of secular thought and liberal theology overwhelmed the church because the leaders did not understand the importance of combating a false set of presuppositions.”

According to Schaeffer, prior to the gradual shift which occurred in the United States from 1913 to 1940, most educated people could agree with the presupposition that truth is absolute. One could argue that if something is true, then the opposite is untrue. These presuppositions are no longer considered valid in our modern world of relativism.

Because of this shift in philosophical thinking, Christians must learn to defend the basis for believing in a world of absolute truth which is foundational to the historic Christian faith.

The Royal Invitation

I bow before the throne of grace

I don’t deserve to see his face

He wraps me in His kingly robes

He puts His crown upon my head

“My child,” he said, “I took your place!

Your debt is gone, your sin erased

I paid your price, My blood was shed

Now sit and eat my bread, and drink my wine!”

I glanced into a face like mine

His presence sparkled royal, sublime;

The voice of God broke forth divine–

“Welcome to eternity with me!”

Open my Eyes

Open my eyes that I might see

Your love unfolding tenderly

Your grace is pure

The cross shines bright

Into this darkened hour bring your light.

Sacred Warriors

 

Sacred Warriors fight for what is right

With God given strength and awsome might

Fearlessly they walk this sin-filled land

Disrupting evil forces dark at hand

Making light of all that’s good and true

They stand among the Earth’s most precious few

Raging through the darkness with a fury born of God

They plunder satan’s army and upon his kingdom trod.

 

Evil

The sense of evil lurks behind the air

Never granting mercy — never playing fair

Causing suffering, hurt, and pain, and fear

Laughing when we humans shed a tear

Subtley slinking deep into your life

Once it’s in will cause you endless strife

Drives you to a mountain peaking high

Pushes you off …and down…and down…you die.

Richard Dawkins Hates God of Old Testament

Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, hates the Jewish God of the Old Testament Scriptures.

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction; jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” (Dawkins, 2006, p. 51)

Why would he start a chapter like that?  It is obvious that he has a beef with the Old Testament.  This makes me wonder about his motivation for not believing in the supernatural.  I wouldn’t want to believe in God if I thought he was bloodthirsty and sadomasichistic.

The problem with this kind of language is that it creates an emotional reaction that is hard to overcome. Dawkins obviously hates God, and is angry with those who believe in him.  How dare the Creator of the Universe give us a set of rules to live by and then punish those who refuse to follow?  Who said God had to be politicaly correct? 

Dawkins doesn’t believe in the supernatural, so why the anger?  That anger is directed towards those who believe in a supernatural God who expects us to live by his rules.  If the God of the Old Testament is evil, then what does Dawkins think about Judaism, and the Jewish people.  Does he hate them for praying to such a God?