Letters From Cedar Rapids
Love Your Enemies
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5:43-44
In today’s world, where getting even is the norm of the day, I cannot imagine how these two verses would change the world if people applied them on a regular basis.
First, love your neighbor, then love your enemy and pray for your enemy. Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you reading this pray for your enemies? Oh, I pray all right, but I’m not sure he meant the prayers I pray for them. Just being honest.
A while back… Continue reading
Just Because it Seems Fashionable
You have wearied the LORD with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi 2:17
Over the next few months we will see changes take place all around us. Changes we never imagined in this country or nation. For those of us who grew up with moral teaching, these things will seem very wicked to us. However, a new generation will not see them this way. For them, anything goes. Thus, what we see as wicked, they may see as normal and natural.
It’s what happens to nations when they… Continue reading
What Happens When You Cannot Pony Up, By Patrick Sheldon
t wasn’t long before the Assyrian army attacked Judah. Hezekiah was able to extend peace between the people of Judah and Assyria by giving the King of Assyria gold and silver. Some might see this as a bribe. Yet, I see it as a leader who will do anything to protect his people. What was Hezekiah protecting the people from? He was protecting them from the brutality and horror lashed out by the Assyrian army. Just see it as a dad protecting his family at all costs. Scripture states the payoff worked for a while: “So Hezekiah game him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal place.” Continue reading
When Others Ask, By Patrick Sheldon
Scripture states the people of Israel crossed over to the other side of the Jordan. The part that strikes me the most about this story is God’s command to build a memorial of stones. Joshua 4:5, “He told them, ‘Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” Continue reading
Commending Faith Part IV - Pleasing God
By Faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, “and was not found because God had translated him,”; for before his translations he had this testimony that he pleased God. Hebrews 11:5
What does it mean to please God? And how do we please Him? We please Him when we walk by faith and have faith in Him. Please can mean “agreeable, enjoyable, satisfied, pleasure.” Continue reading
Your Words Have Been Harsh Against Me
You see, it’s an honor to serve the Lord. It is an honor to know Him. It is an honor to have His grace and mercy working in my life. He is worthy of my praises. And yet, there are times my actions do not serve Him well. My thoughts do not praise His name. And my mouth does not glorify Him. And yes, there are times when I question whether it is worth the time, the frustration and the trials to serve Him. Continue reading
More Science and the Bible - Scientific Facts
Today, science continues to open new realms. We get excited about the new discoveries. And in many cases, God told us about them in the Old Testament, thousands of years ago.
Think of it this way. What Moses learned in the desert, from God, made him look ingenious when it came to science. He talked about hygiene, refraining from pork, quarantine, leaving dead carcasses alone, how to handle mold and much more. Obviously, Moses was no doctor. And he could not see germs, viruses and bacteria. So for him to have this knowledge, it could only come from one person - God.
I thought you might enjoy all the scientific information found in the Word. I listed some sites with some very good information.
The truth about science today is this, DNA has… Continue reading
Misplaced Trust
But what happened to Job had nothing to do with sin or lack of faith. For if we judged these to be the case for Job, then should we not suffer worse. Which one of us could stand in Job’s shoes? Which one of us is not guilty of breaking God’s laws? Job had something he trusted in, something we have all done at some time, but it was not his wealth. Until next time. Continue reading
