"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
This is probably my favorite scripture anymore (Lamentations 3 is still up there though). If for no other reason, it encompasses everything God is the explains how and why He acts with people.
I believe that humans were made in the image of God, especially spiritually and morally speaking. Through the deceptions of Satan, we have lost so much of that glory. But this verse brings to mind that God isn't done with us even though we have collectively failed Him.
It's not so much that God works within our logic and our form of justice (praise Him for that). He's above all of that and acts purely out of affection. Even as things look bleak, there is something beyond what we know at work. Part of that unseen scene is God singing to us, calming us, saving us.
Showing posts with label Belief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belief. Show all posts
Friday, April 3, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Paradise Lost
Along with the belief of Creationism, I also believe that when it was all set up, it was as God saw it--good. God had an intention for this planet, and we are far, far from it.
I believe in an enemy. From before Eden, he has looked for every opportunity to see suffering carried out and point a crooked finger at God and say, "You are not what you say you are." Every bad and deformed thing comes from him.
The Bible describes the world before sin, when Satan was confined to a tree. It was a place that lines up with the words of Solomon, a place where one would work and be content with that. No drama, otherwise. But through deception, Satan broke free and galloped about the world twisting people's brains to see God as a fake. The results have been disastrous. Some forgot all about God, or chose to ignore Him. Even worse, though, Satan works with those who did remember God, persuading them to carry out Scriptures in a way contrary to the Scriptures.
Through his work, religion has become a place of bones and zombies. And the rest of the world fears it, steers clear, or attacks it. Through Christ's work, we are redeemed. Our religion is not that of condemnation, but of coming together and drawing others closer to Him. So where Satan has drug us off the path as a lion would drag his prey, Christ heals us through a straight forward message of love and forgiveness.
I believe in an enemy. From before Eden, he has looked for every opportunity to see suffering carried out and point a crooked finger at God and say, "You are not what you say you are." Every bad and deformed thing comes from him.
The Bible describes the world before sin, when Satan was confined to a tree. It was a place that lines up with the words of Solomon, a place where one would work and be content with that. No drama, otherwise. But through deception, Satan broke free and galloped about the world twisting people's brains to see God as a fake. The results have been disastrous. Some forgot all about God, or chose to ignore Him. Even worse, though, Satan works with those who did remember God, persuading them to carry out Scriptures in a way contrary to the Scriptures.
Through his work, religion has become a place of bones and zombies. And the rest of the world fears it, steers clear, or attacks it. Through Christ's work, we are redeemed. Our religion is not that of condemnation, but of coming together and drawing others closer to Him. So where Satan has drug us off the path as a lion would drag his prey, Christ heals us through a straight forward message of love and forgiveness.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Creation vs Evolution
Ever since high school, I have been interested in the various ideas and theories behind the origins of our world. How long has the planet been here? For how long did people live on it? How have we reach the point we are at now? From both sides, I've heard a lot of excellent and pathetic possibilities and interpretations.
Evolution is a fantastic theory, one that I think proves itself all over the planet. To think that Darwin was the first to notice it kind of surprises me. It doesn't seem to take much to see and compare varieties of creatures and see how they have adapted to stay alive. My problem, however, shows up when people place that theory in place of origins of the known universe. Though I can see how molecules can combine to become something new, I don't think I can ever be convinced that different chemicals, organisms, or molecules can reach a point that they can
become something completely different. When a people live in a new place, they will change features to become better adapted to their surroundings, I don't think that we will reach the point of becoming a new creature.
Creation, honestly, just make more sense. I picture God playing with elements to create different things, like a chemist mixing things in his laboratory. Without a guiding force I don't think that even the fittest could have survived everything that the planet has dished out.
More importantly, though, I believe that we need Creation to become better people. Without the belief that humans were once perfect and awesome beyond our comprehension, there is no reason to hope that we can become great again. If we were not a fallen race, there is no need for Christ. Why redeem that which was never perfect? On a humanitarian level, why help anybody out? Evolution teaches that the fastest and strongest survive and the weakest become lost. So where could we ever get the concept of helping out our fellow humans?
Though I believe both theories are at work on this planet, I can't deny the feeling that people need help. For that, I have no choice but to believe that we are not just animals in the evolutionary process, striving only to survive. We live and want others to live, which does not compute in an evolutionary way of thought.
Evolution is a fantastic theory, one that I think proves itself all over the planet. To think that Darwin was the first to notice it kind of surprises me. It doesn't seem to take much to see and compare varieties of creatures and see how they have adapted to stay alive. My problem, however, shows up when people place that theory in place of origins of the known universe. Though I can see how molecules can combine to become something new, I don't think I can ever be convinced that different chemicals, organisms, or molecules can reach a point that they can
become something completely different. When a people live in a new place, they will change features to become better adapted to their surroundings, I don't think that we will reach the point of becoming a new creature.
Creation, honestly, just make more sense. I picture God playing with elements to create different things, like a chemist mixing things in his laboratory. Without a guiding force I don't think that even the fittest could have survived everything that the planet has dished out.
More importantly, though, I believe that we need Creation to become better people. Without the belief that humans were once perfect and awesome beyond our comprehension, there is no reason to hope that we can become great again. If we were not a fallen race, there is no need for Christ. Why redeem that which was never perfect? On a humanitarian level, why help anybody out? Evolution teaches that the fastest and strongest survive and the weakest become lost. So where could we ever get the concept of helping out our fellow humans?
Though I believe both theories are at work on this planet, I can't deny the feeling that people need help. For that, I have no choice but to believe that we are not just animals in the evolutionary process, striving only to survive. We live and want others to live, which does not compute in an evolutionary way of thought.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Belief Structure
I had a student ask me in class once, "What do you believe?"
I assumed she meant faith-wise and answered, "That's a big question."
She helped me out a little by asking if I was Catholic or Baptist or some other denomination. So I told her I was a Seventh-day Adventist. But it bothered me that I couldn't really get into it that much. A person's belief structure is so much more than the church they attend and the scriptures they read. The experiences, people, situations they encounter and find themselves in shape what they think of life, the universe, and everything.
Because it's Friday, it only seems right to begin with my belief in rest. I believe that we are created (another belief to be explored later) to break down if we don't take time to stop. A lot of people believe this, hence the concept of a weekend that many people get to take advantage of regardless of religion or spirituality. But even with this weekend, people need to really unplug.
Enter the Sabbath. Since the beginning of their recorded history, Jews have kept every seventh day as a day of rest with guidelines about what people should and should not be able to do. Growing up, of course, these "limitations" from the Bible were just that. But as I work and stress and strive and fret, removing the sense of obligation from my life for 24 hours is the most rejuvenating experience. There could be no way I could last from week to week without taking time out and focus on what God has provided for me.
I struggle with some Sabbath issues still. Are there things that I should be giving up ever Saturday? For now, though, I need to hone in on God for my strength, from there, "the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."
I assumed she meant faith-wise and answered, "That's a big question."
She helped me out a little by asking if I was Catholic or Baptist or some other denomination. So I told her I was a Seventh-day Adventist. But it bothered me that I couldn't really get into it that much. A person's belief structure is so much more than the church they attend and the scriptures they read. The experiences, people, situations they encounter and find themselves in shape what they think of life, the universe, and everything.
Because it's Friday, it only seems right to begin with my belief in rest. I believe that we are created (another belief to be explored later) to break down if we don't take time to stop. A lot of people believe this, hence the concept of a weekend that many people get to take advantage of regardless of religion or spirituality. But even with this weekend, people need to really unplug.
Enter the Sabbath. Since the beginning of their recorded history, Jews have kept every seventh day as a day of rest with guidelines about what people should and should not be able to do. Growing up, of course, these "limitations" from the Bible were just that. But as I work and stress and strive and fret, removing the sense of obligation from my life for 24 hours is the most rejuvenating experience. There could be no way I could last from week to week without taking time out and focus on what God has provided for me.
I struggle with some Sabbath issues still. Are there things that I should be giving up ever Saturday? For now, though, I need to hone in on God for my strength, from there, "the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."
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