God instituted marriage and the family for procreation to teach us about how He lives. He wants mankind to know what motivates Him, what His purpose is for mankind, and how His nature and character developed in human beings would give families peaceful relationships. If mankind functioned in marriage the way God intended, this world would be a vastly different place. The dysfunctional families that are increasingly the norm would seldom exist. However today we see the removal of any … [Read more...] about Marriage, a Safe Haven
Fruits of
The Path From Belief to Conviction
The word āconvictionā is a powerful word in our language. It conjures up ideas of not only a guilty verdict from a courtroom setting, but also a solid or firmly held belief, as in the idea that people should be convicted of what they believe. Vocabulary.com explains this word: āA conviction is something certain: a judgment of guilty in court and a strong belief are both convictions. In the legal world, when a judge or jury convicts someone of a crime ā finding them guilty ā … [Read more...] about The Path From Belief to Conviction
Overcome Evil With Good
Lifeās difficulties, as many have experienced, arise from various possible angles. Sometimes we cause our own difficulties through poor decisions. However, trials also come through other people. Not necessarily from something we did to deserve it. But, wham! We get hit hard because of what somebody else does to us, often because their way of life is in opposition to ours. It becomes a tangled web, a path of carnage. People get caught in the middle and have profound effects on … [Read more...] about Overcome Evil With Good
True Peace
Most people on the planet prefer peace in relationships, in finances and from government interference. Fortunately, peace is especially important to God. From His perspective peace is closely connected to the concept of reconciliation. Something that God has always desired for humanity. God tells us that those who develop the qualities of "peacemaker" will be blessed (Matthew 5:9). Individually we may have little to no power to influence peace between nations; however, we can have power … [Read more...] about True Peace
Godly Respect
While a large majority of people would agree that respect is a crucial factor in society, the lack of respect ā disrespect ā continues to increase in the world around us. Two areas of society where disrespect is most witnessed are education and politics. But disrespect permeates all areas of society, not only in the U.S., but around the globe. Personal relationships are severed by divisive arguments instead of healed through respectful discussions. Interestingly, God's way to … [Read more...] about Godly Respect
Remaining Steadfast
Godās Church is central to His plan of salvation for all mankind as a precursor of the āpouring outā of His Holy Spirit on all humanity. But that profound impact is difficult to grasp because the Churches are mostly ignored by the world today. What can we do now to ensure that we stay strong and donāt fall prey to discouragement? There is a process to help us succeed. The beginning of the book of James gets right to it: āMy brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, … [Read more...] about Remaining Steadfast
Staying Awake
Are we awake spiritually? Or are we too caught up in our daily tasks? Letās consider the periods of slumbering and awakening in our lives, and how we can learn to stay awake. Godās Holy Spirit is active, but our human spirit, the āspirit in manā (Job 32.8), which makes us each a unique individual, can slumber if we prevent Godās Spirit from working in us. Just like when we are driving along, mind wandering, and find that weāve lost track of how we got to where we are, so a slumbering spirit … [Read more...] about Staying Awake