Countermeasures

image of a gate barred with a lock

I John 4:4-6 In these verses the apostle encourages the disciples against the fear and danger of the seducing anti-Christian spirit. Suffering is a universal language. We can’t escape pain. Plans go wrong. Troubles come. Our bodies wear out. We live in a fallen world, and sometimes the pressure paralyzes us. He assures us of a more divine principle You are …

To See Or Not To See

Image of a person standing in the dark next to a staircase

In Matthew 6:23-24, Jesus turns from the comparative durability of the two treasures to the comparative benefit to be derived from two conditions. The contrast now is between a blind person and a sighted person, and so between the light and darkness in which they respectively live. The eye is the lamp of the body. This is not literal, of …

The Rock in the Lake

ripple on a water surface

Several years ago I watched an episode of Xena, The Warrior Princess and at the final scene of the particular episode, Xena and Gabrielle arrive at a lake. Turning to Gabrielle, Xena said, “See how calm the surface of the water is?…That was me once.” Xena then throws a rock into the lake, both looking at the ripples that formed …

The Rule of Law

An image of rocks piled on top of each other

In 1 Timothy 1:3-11, the fundamental principle that the law is for the lawless applies to every kind of law. For example, the reason we need speed limits is that there are so many reckless drivers on the road. The reason we need boundaries and fences is that it is the only way to prevent unlawful trespass. And the reason …

Why We Need Jesus: The Savior Chronicles Part 2

Image of a man praying on his knees at the beach

The term “Kobayashi Maru” was coined in the popular science fiction franchise, Star Trek. The Kobayashi Maru was a programmed computer simulation that created a scenario in which no winning outcome was possible. A real life example would be a pilot stuck on a burning plane without a parachute. The pilot could choose to jump or remain on the plane. …

Cubit To Stature

image of a person standing next to the number 31 painted on the road

Worry is as inconsistent with common sense as it is with Christian faith. In Matthew 6:34 Jesus mentions both today and tomorrow. All worry is about tomorrow, whether about food or clothing or anything else; but all worry is experienced today. Whenever we are anxious, we are upset in the present about some event which may happen in the future. …

As In Old Time

Image of an hour glass

There appears to be an increasingly waning demonstration of the power of God as compared to the early church even up to the church of the early 20th century. If we are sincere enough, most of us will agree that what we see this days is an occasional “drizzling” of the demonstration of the power of God in all the …

In His Name

image of a lady standing in the snow

In Colossians, chapter 3, Paul gives us two general principles governing personal relationships. Here they are: ‘Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.’  The second is: ‘Whatever you do, work at it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men’ (verses 17 and 23).  Now let me tell in my …

Broken Wings

photo of a man standing on remains of a damaged aircraft

The Greek hero Daedalus built two pairs of wings for both himself and his son Icarus as a means of escaping a king’s prison tower. Daedalus had warned his son before taking flight, not to fly too high in the sky otherwise the sun’s heat would melt the wax holding the feathers together, causing the wings to fall apart and …

Eureka!

Photo image of a dove in flight

King Hiero once gave his craftsman gold to make him a golden crown. And when the craftsman had finished the work, he presented the crown to the king. The king however was not convinced that the crown was entirely made of gold. The king believed he had been duped, that the craftsman had replaced some gold with silver and kept …