Thinking about God, Jesus and The Big Questions

Despite all of the bad things that are happening in the word, we do have the power to choose our own thoughts.  Yes, it's true that it's really hard to choose positive thoughts when we are busy, or have a lot of responsibilities, or deal with a lot of stress daily. But choosing positive thoughts is a habit we need to start if we haven't already.  If we instead decided to wait until the "perfect day" for those thoughts, when we are on vacation with no responsibilities.... hold on, that sort of thing doesn't exist! Exactly. We are responsible for choosing positive thoughts even in situations when it's easier not to . The Holy Spirit dwells within us, and wouldn't it be wonderful to let the Holy Spirit reside in a place that is beautiful on the inside?  If it's a mess of worry (and yes, I've been there, and sometimes keep going there!) then won't it be a little hard for us to hear the Holy Spirit? And wouldn't it be hard for the Holy Spiri...

In the Bible, it is made clear that Jesus will come to earth a second time. That time will not be as a sacrifice, as he did when he died on the cross the first time he was on earth. What will the second time look like? It is clear from the description in the Bible that it will be a cosmic event. Let's take a look. In the passage below from the book of Luke, it is Jesus himself speaking to the people: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke21: 25-28 From the description above, it seems that some cosmic event is clearly indicated at the time of the second co...

I was reading the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. You can read the full parable in Matthew 16: 19-31. There, a rich man who feasted each day did not share even scraps with a poor man called Lazarus who was hungry. They eventually both died, and the poor man went to heaven and the rich man to Hades (hell).  There, the rich man was in agony and asked Abraham in heaven to relieve him, but Abraham said there was a great chasm between the two places so it was not possible. Then the rich man pleaded to Abraham to at least send Lazarus to the rich man's father's house to warn his five brothers so that they would not wind up in hell. Let's examine what happens next: Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Matthew...

A major question for most Christians is "How do I know if I'm doing God's plan under the protection of God, or going against His plan and protection?" In all times, but especially in Covid times, this is a question many people grapple with.  There are many examples in the Bible where God has made a plan and revealed it to a person or group of people, who can choose to either go with God's plan or not.  Going with God's plan offers His divine protection during the plan. By contrast, going one's own way does not offer this divine protection, because no protection is needed since the person isn't participating in the plan. Being unprotected does not necessarily mean the person will drop dead there and then, but it means they will be much more susceptible to attacks from Satan. One example of both aspects of this situation is when the Israelites went out of Egypt. The Israelites spied out the land which God had made it clear that it was his will to be thei...

 I was reading Deuteronomy and was struck by the following verse: The Lord will scatter you among the peoples; only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will lead you. There you will serve other gods made by human hands, objects of wood and stone that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul. Deuteronomy 4: 27 - 29 This says that those living in secular societies, or in societies who worship other gods, still will find the one true God if they search for him with all their heart and soul. Note that it does NOT say that they just have to sit back and do nothing and then God will come to them. It says they will find him if they search after him with all their heart and soul . This means that God will not just ignore someone truly seeking him. He will not simply leave them to their own devices.  On the other hand, if someone isn't truly se...

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.  Matthew 5: 33-37 This Bible verse above is the clearest instruction from God that we should never swear anything on the Bible. The words in the verse are Jesus speaking, so we know for sure that this is something God instructed. Yet, many court systems around the world ask witnesses to swear on the Bible. However, many of these courts also have alternative options to be sworn in that are available, such as an oath of affirmation to tell the truth. These alternative options do not involve the B...

At the end of times, Jesus will come again. It will be sudden when it happens. Here are some scriptures about this event: “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for th...