We have so much to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day. We live good lives here on Earth, and if we have put our faith in Christ, we have the promise of eternal life when this life ends. We have food to eat and roofs over our heads. Most of all, we have Jesus Christ. Different people have different blessings, but we are all blessed. What could we possibly need that God hasn’t already provided for us, or has promised to provide for us? And yet, in our ‘Bigger, Better’ economy, we find it so easy to be ungrateful.

The Israelites had it mad too. They may not have been comfortable living in the desert, but they had food every day, clothes and shoes that never wore out, and a leader that had a personal relationship with God. God had just delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and they had just seen miracle after miracle performed by God through Moses. One would think that the Israelites would be the happiest and most joyful people on Earth. The Israelites, however were not happy at all. They were not content with being free in the desert, they would have preferred living in bondage in Egypt over living in the desert. The Manna was not good enough for them, they wanted the rich delicacies that could be found in Egypt. After all God had done for them, they didn’t even like their situation.

When the ungrateful people reached the promised land, they were afraid to enter. After witnessing The plagues cast upon Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea, they were afraid of the people that lived in the Promised Land. Even though God had protected them from every danger possible, they didn’t trust Him enough to fight for the land He had promised them.

As a result for their ungrateful, and complaining attitudes, the Israelites were driven away from the Promised land, and they wandered through the desert for 40 years. No one from that complaining generation [except Joshua and Caleb, because they had trusted God] entered the Promised Land-Not even Moses. A trip that should have taken them 40 days, took them 40 years. Such was the result of the Israelite’s complaining.

We live in a land of rich and plenty today. It is the least we can do to show a little gratitude in our attitudes. Or would you rather be an Israelite?

I’m pretty sure that we have all heard the quote “less is more”. What I don’t think we all realize is that is Biblically backed. Ecclesiastes 4:6 says “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit”.

What the verse is saying is that it is better to have only a little, but to have a peace of mind, than to have much more, but to have a worried and stressed spirit. Isn’t that true? Wouldn’t you rather have what you need, and to be at peace, than to have it all, but constantly be stressed about it?

Our culture today teaches that we should work, work, work so that we can have the bigger house, the better car, the best job, and so on so that we can be happy. However, in order to gain that, the people literally have to work all the time. Some people take two jobs in order to get enough money, while other people have both the mother and the father in the family working. Some people do both, and then tack on mortgages and loans so that they can afford even more. All three options cause people to stress, and to worry. Because they are stressed and worrying, they don’t enjoy what they have, and they decide that they need more. You can see where this cycle leads.

Would it not be better to live within your means? The Bible is not saying to be a poor hermit, but it is saying to be reasonable. Later on, the author of Ecclesiastes says to be happy with what you have. It sounds simple, but isn’t that so important to just be content with what you have, than to work and stress constantly just to have that one more thing?

Today I’m not going to post on a Biblical Scripture or Current Event. But I would like to share with you a list I wrote a couple days ago while I was reading my Bible:

8 Things I Love about God:

• He died for for me.
• Like a Best Friend, He is always there when I need Him.
• He is the Creator of the Universe, and He takes the time to care about an insignificant person like me.
• He knows the number of hairs on my head, and the number of freckles on my skin.
• No matter what time of day, He is always ready to listen to my prayers, thanks, complaints, and confusions.
• When I stumble and fall, He helps me get back on my feet.
• He always knows what’s best for me.
• He is my Savior.

Feel free to add on to this list in the comments section. May God bless the rest of your day!

The latest issue of Newsweek arrived a few days ago. In the past I’ve tried to avoid these types of magazines, not wanting to get mixed up in the political and social mess that inevitably comes with it. But lately I’ve been trying to gain a better understanding of our current events; since how are we, as Christians, supposed to make informed choices if we don’t know what the heck is going on in the World?

The cover of this issue peaked my interest. A large Red, White, and Blue flag wrapped around a cross, with the words “The Politics of Jesus” written boldly next to it. Newsweek actually featured THREE articles on Christianity in this issue. In this post I’d like to focus on the last of these three articles, entitled “The Case against Faith”, written by self-proclaimed atheist Sam Harris.

For those of you who don’t have a hardcopy of Newsweek on hand, you can read the article online.

Sam Harris starts out his article with:

Despite a full century of scientific insights attesting to the antiquity of life and the greater antiquity of the Earth, more than half the American population believes that the entire cosmos was created 6,000 years ago. This is, incidentally, about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue. Those with the power to elect presidents and congressmen—and many who themselves get elected—believe that dinosaurs lived two by two upon Noah’s Ark, that light from distant galaxies was created en route to the Earth and that the first members of our species were fashioned out of dirt and divine breath, in a garden with a talking snake, by the hand of an invisible God.

Despite a full century of scientific insights attesting to the antiquity of life and the greater antiquity of the Earth… Ok, please stop. Are you referring to the alleged “theory” of evolution? If so, I hope the word “attest” was a typo, for the only reason Evolution is still being taught in schools is for a lack of a better replacement (other than Christianity). You speak as though Evolution has already been proven without a doubt. How can you say that when there are so many holes in it? Evolution’s “greatest find” is skeleton called “Lucy”, of which only a very small portion of the skeleton was ever found. It doesn’t even have a face for scientists to study.

Take a look around you. Look at all the plants, animals, and natural wonders, or perhaps even the human brain. You could spend a lifetime studying just one of these spectacular creations (out of billions and trillions), and you still wouldn’t be able to understand even a small portion of its essence. Yet everything mysteriously fits together. Do you really think that all these species, working together perfectly for the benefit of the environment, were randomly generated from a COSMIC SOUP?!

If we were made from a bubbling lunch entree how do we know that good is good, and evil is evil? How are we even capable of thought at all? How do you explain the small voice (sometimes called a conscience) inside warning you not to steal that delicious candy bar from the store?

The answer to these questions is not evolution. The answer is God, a Creator.

Mr. Harris continues his onslaught…

This is embarrassing. But add to this comedy of false certainties the fact that 44 percent of Americans are confident that Jesus will return to Earth sometime in the next 50 years, and you will glimpse the terrible liability of this sort of thinking. Given the most common interpretation of Biblical prophecy, it is not an exaggeration to say that nearly half the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. It should be clear that this faith-based nihilism provides its adherents with absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization—economically, environmentally or geopolitically. Some of these people are lunatics, of course, but they are not the lunatic fringe. We are talking about the explicit views of Christian ministers who have congregations numbering in the tens of thousands. These are some of the most influential, politically connected and well-funded people in our society.

If by “end of the world” you mean “eternal life with my Savior”, than yes, I am looking forward to it. We are all sinners, Mr. Harris, and Jesus paid for that sin with His life. It is only those who reject God’s forgiveness that will be facing “the end of the world”. In Revelation 22:12-16 Jesus tells us:

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Christian’s are not going to simply “party” while we wait for the return of Jesus. God has laid out laws for all mankind to follow. Tell me how “You shall not murder”, “You shall not steal”, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor”, and so many other moral commandments have a bad effect on society? So many Christian’s dedicate their lives to serving others; traveling overseas to help the sick and the poor.

Think about some of the great people in our Country’s history. George Washington, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa… just to name a few. It can be said without a doubt that all of three of them dedicated their lives to others. It is people like this — Christians — that have made our Country great.

Are you really embarrassed to have people with those kinds of moral values being citizens of this Country? Do you prefer people who base their sense of right and wrong on what suits them at the current moment? If so, I feel sorry for you. You obviously missed what this Country was founded on in high school.

Sam Harris goes on to say that religious people “will happily contribute to the surplus of human misery if it serves their religious beliefs“. As an example he provides President Bush who used a veto to deny federal funding for embryonic-stem-cell research. Mr. Harris argues that this could be a breakthrough in medicine for the reason that stem cells could become any tissue in the human body. That’s right… but if scientists didn’t KILL IT, nine months later a baby would be born! He says that since a 3-day old human embryo is only a collection of 150 cells, that it’s “ok”. Who are you to decide that lab research is more important than the soul inside that tiny baby? By your reasoning it would be “OK” to use a short person for scientific research because they’re not as big as someone taller. No one has the right to kill an innocent baby. Period.

He continues his article by saying that the United States is a super power, and as such, the President is in the most important position in the world. He then mocks President Bush for praying to God for help in making decisions. Tell me this, Mr. Harris. If you were in such an “important position”, wouldn’t you want help from the Creator of the Universe? I know I would.

What is Love. Love is perhaps the most confusing of all the emotions that we have. The fact that the English language uses love to mean a wide variety of things makes things all the more confusing. We’re going to look at the Christian kind of love that we are all supposed to have.

Most people equate Christian love with just being nice and all to other Christians, and to good people.

But, there is more than just that. Jesus says, in Matthew 5:44, that we should love our enemies as ourselves, and that we should be kind to those who hate us. How many of us find that easy? Most of us automatically don’t like people who are our enemies, and almost everyone has trouble being nice to people who hate us. But, Jesus says that we are to love them, and do good to them.

Not only are we told to love our enemies, and each other, we are also told what the greatest form of love is. John 15:13 says that the greatest love is when someone dies for one of his friends. How many of us could die for a friend? Not just talk about doing it, but actually doing it?

In closing, lets look at how important love is. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that out of Faith, Love and Hope, love is the greatest. According to that verse, love is greater than having hope or having faith. I think that really puts it into perspective HOW important love really is for Christians to have.

There is currently a debate happening on the Christian Place Forums in regards to Saddam Hussein’s death sentence. While I’ll be the first to agree that he has committed terrible and horrifying atrocities, I do not believe that the death sentence is the answer.

Did Saddam’s actions warrant the United States taking military efforts to stop him? The short answer, yes. A man who massacres, rapes, and tortures thousands of innocent people certainly needs to be brought to justice. (I won’t go into the gruesome details of his many crimes here. If you’d like to learn more about them, click this link)

The day Mr. Hussein’s sentence was announced I saw posts all over the internet (on Christian Forums, I might add) exclaiming the “good news”, followed with specific details on how he should be tortured first. This made me sick. The death of any man, no matter what he has done, is nothing to celebrate. This also brings up another question – Why does the World want him dead so badly? Is it really because it is the “right” course of action, or does it originate from a desire to have revenge for all the people he has hurt?

We went to war with Iraq to save lives. The threat that Saddam once represented is no more. Why the need to kill Saddam, thus making him a martyr to all terrorists? Why not give him life imprisonment, and let him reflect on everything he has done? He may even repent his sins and accept Jesus as his Savior. Is it such a terrible thing to give him that chance?

Remember that all of us have sinned and deserve to be sent to hell. Jesus came and died for those sins so we could ALL have a second chance. That means everyone; not just those who we consider to be “good” or “decent” people.

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” — Mark 2:17

EDIT: My thanks to “Feathin” for reminding me of the verse above.

What is a Friend? The Bible has a lot to say on what a friend is, and how a friend should act. The Bible also says how to gain friends.

First, lets look at how to gain or make friends. In Proverbs 18:24, it says that in order to have friends, you must be friendly to people. In other words, if you are not friendly to other people, people will not want to be our friends. So, rather than complaining that you don’t have friends, you should go out, be friendly, and make friends.

As a warning though, Proverbs 19:6 says that every man is a friend of someone who gives gifts, meaning that people naturally like people who give them things. This is different than a true friendship, and should be taken as a warning to be careful with people.

Now that we see how to have friends, we should look at what a friend does.

Proverbs 27:9 says that “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel”. This means that just as perfumes and ointments make one feel better, counsel from a friend who truly cares makes one feel better as well. We should encourage our friends, and, when the time calls for it, give them advice and counsel.

When following the advice in that verse, one should keep in mind Proverbs 27:14, which states “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him”. You need to pick the proper time to offer advice, as the verse says, you may say something nice, but if you do it at the wrong time, all you will accomplish is angering your friend.

Proverbs 27:17 says that “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”. What the verse is saying is that friends make other friends stronger and better. Also, note how the verse says Iron sharpens Iron. We should be careful to choose friends who reflect our beliefs, otherwise we could weaken our own faith. Now, that’s not saying to ignore people who don’t share our beliefs, but that we shouldn’t have them as close as we have people who believe what we believe.

I am going to assume we all know what the greatest act a friend can do. John 15:13 says “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” If we truly love our friends, we would be willing to die for them. How many of us can say that we would die for our friends?

There is this one word that I love. It’s so meaningless to those who sit in school diagramming sentences. It isn’t the biggest, longest, or most creative word. It isn’t beautiful or exciting. It’s just a word-to most people.

In Psalm 23, David writes, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil….” Most people that read this verse are mainly focused on the valley of the shadow of death. Sometimes we don’t stop to think about how many other things David may have been saying. The most wonderful part of this verse to some people, is probably one little word. It’s the word I love so much. This word is the word ‘through’.

God is always with us. He is here next to me, and there next to you. No matter what you do, or where you go, he is there to help you THROUGH it. When David wrote that verse, he could have said “Yea though I walk INTO the valley…” He wrote the word ‘through’ though, because that’s the way it works. God will bring us THROUGH any changes He introduces in our lives. He tests us with every change and shift. He doesn’t carry us into a trial and then just leave us there. He doesn’t let us wander into danger. We are his sheep, and He is our shepherd [John 10:14]. He is always there next to us to carry us THROUGH.

No matter what you do, where you go, or what you go through, remember that God is by your side. All you have to do is reach out to Him and ask for help, and He will bring you through. He never leaves us or forsakes us [Hebrews 13:5]. Wherever you are in life, if you’re having a rough time, having a hard time or going through a test of faith, turn your eyes upward [Psalm 121:1] and know that God is the answer, and Jesus is the key.