NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

11 Facts About Belief (aka Faith)

by Leave a Comment

Belief is measured by its object not its passion.

Belief Cures Cynicism
And Prevents Fatalism

Belief is simple. It isn’t restricted by age or intellect or culture.

It comes naturally to all of us but doesn’t always stick around. It shifts. It shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Paul preached it. Peter preached it. Both were following the example of Jesus, who preached it before them. Obviously, it’s important.

It’s a timeless universal response common to all Christians. We shouldn’t allow it to get lost in the jargon or smothered by bad attitudes. Following are a few facts to consider.

Belief Is What You Can’t Prove

The things we believe are the things we cannot prove. That is why belief and faith are synonymous. The words can be used interchangeably.

In fact, because you can’t prove what you believe, any action prompted by belief is an act of faith.

Most people actually refer to what they believe as their faith. I used the word Belief here only to change things up a bit.

Belief Is Universal

Everyone believes something. The only way to avoid belief is to know everything about the past and the future. In other words, you must be omniscient.

Jesus doesn’t believe anything because He knows everything.

If you aren’t omniscient, you’re a believer in something.

  • Every religious person has faith.
  • Every scientist has faith.
  • Every politician has faith.

We all believe something and act on it everyday.

[do_widget id=media_image-4]

People get up in the morning believing the day will be productive. They’re hopeful, which is a by-product of belief.

People target, visualize, and work toward personal goals knowing there are no guarantees. But realism teaches us that belief is the only way to make progress.

The Wright Brothers believed people could fly and acted on that belief. We all know the outcome of their efforts. [Read more…] about 11 Facts About Belief (aka Faith)

4 Friendship Lessons From The Bible

by Leave a Comment

Friendship is God's tool to make us better people.

Friendships Are Deepened
Through Trouble

Friend is a happy word. It makes us feel safe. It evokes a sense of support, love, security, connection and more.

If you have a good friend you’re better for it. It’s a comfortable place to be, or so the thinking goes, and the Bible makes statements that support these flowery ideas:

  • A friend loves through all kinds of weather – Proverbs 17:17 (MSG).
  • This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends – John 15:13 (MSG).
  • Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor – Ecclesiastes 4:9 (KJV).
  • Better is a neighbor (friend) that is near than a brother far off – Proverbs 27:10 (KJV).
  • A sweet friendship refreshes the soul – Proverbs 27:9 (MSG).

But these verses represent the ideal. They describe friendship at its best. Can we really expect that? Is any friendship 100% no fault? Or does reality provide a different perspective?

[do_widget id=media_image-4]

To balance things out the Bible also warns us that friendship can sometimes be a cover-up for questionable motives. [Read more…] about 4 Friendship Lessons From The Bible

8 More Questions To Prove Salvation Can’t Be Lost

by 4 Comments

The difference between saved and unsaved is salvation not sin.

Clarify The Question
Before You Answer

I’ve had many discussions about eternal security and the conversations often migrate to “what-if” questions, the philosophical nuggets that get thrown in after all the verses have been dissected without reaching a resolution.

Eternal Security is, again, the topic here and I mention it because the “what-ifs” unwittingly open the door to some very interesting questions:

Here’s how it works.

A debate is started about Eternal security, which is the teaching that says once a person is saved they can never be lost. Only God’s actions can void it and according to Him, His love is unconditional. It works even when we don’t (Romans 8:38).

[do_widget id=media_image-4]

And that is where the “what-if” arguments are introduced. [Read more…] about 8 More Questions To Prove Salvation Can’t Be Lost

Fear: By Tim Pepper

by Leave a Comment

What would have happened if abolitionists had only prayer?

The following is guest posted by Tim Pepper – single father to one, brother to one, friend to many, master of biotechnology, writer of over 100 songs and singer of many more.
 

Fear Causes Inaction
It Doesn’t Excuse It

Fear. “Fear will establish the limits of your life.” That statement really resonates with me. I think it’s because I have experienced the limitations that fear can place on a person. Not all fears are bad but I don’t think our lives are meant to be characterized by fear. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s healthy to live in fear and I don’t think a persons actions ought to always be determined by fear.

The counterbalance to fear is apparently Faith. But faith in what? Faith in God? That’s all very well but what is it about God that I’m supposed to have faith in? Am I to have faith that I will inherit a million bucks? Am I to have faith that I will experience no loss or disappointment or difficulty? The things I grew up believing are these: God is good. God is kind. God is loving. God is my father and friend and master. God has a plan. God has a partner for me. God has a purpose for me.

It is hard for me to understand or know exactly what all of that means. I don’t know if I believe anymore that God has a partner for me. I want to believe it but I find it hard to do. As for God’s plan; I don’t know what to believe about that either.

I think about all the problems in the world. Difficult things like idiot countries with idiot laws that oppress their people. Difficult things like people who rape and murder other people. In a world where these things exist it’s difficult to understand how God’s plan is taking shape.

I think about God’s purpose for me and I wonder if I’m right in the middle of that purpose right now? I don’t want to believe that mostly because I don’t really like where I’m at right now. It’s not what I want. But I pray and pray and pray for things to change and nothing changes. So I wonder if I’m supposed to actively try and change things or if I’m supposed to just try and accept what is happening in my life.

I don’t know the answer to that but I think about things like slavery and medicine and wonder what would have happened if the abolitionists had only prayed? What would have happened if a few people hadn’t stowed away some Jews under the Nazi regime? Where would we be if doctors and nurses hadn’t studied and hadn’t administered treatment and had instead only prayed? Would we be here at all?

If you have certain heart conditions you can reduce your chance of having a heart attack by taking half an Aspirin every day. If you simply make the choice to eat right and exercise you can possibly prevent yourself from getting those heart conditions.

There are actions that people take that change the course of their daily lives and even sometimes change the course of history. Sometimes those actions are as easy as taking an Aspirin but I imagine it wasn’t that easy to abolish slavery and I imagine it was fairly fearful to have Jews hiding in your attic when the Nazis came knocking on your door.

People do these difficult (and sometimes easy) things because something in their being tells them that they have to do them. Something tells them that what they are doing is the right thing to do. So they do them despite the difficulty and despite the fear. They do them because they believe in that thing that is talking to their conscience. They have faith. [Read more…] about Fear: By Tim Pepper

Veritables: Truth Is Not Conclusive

by Leave a Comment

One truth, accurate or not, does not a conclusion make.

Conclusions Drawn
On Vibrant Perspectives
Must Be Tempered
By Caution

Unfortunately, discovering one truth or fact – here to fore unknown – is not the end of the journey.

Truth never stands alone. One piece of truth, like digits on a hand, form only a part of the picture. A finger does not a person make, so it is difficult to draw conclusions based only on one truth or even two or three separate truths.

For example, if you found an unclaimed finger on the sidewalk and reported it to the authorities their first response would be to answer several questions, the most important one being, “who does it belong to?” You couldn’t know for sure without further investigation. It’s not an easy question to answer. More detail is needed.

Getting a finger print would help but only if the person’s print is in the system and in the case of mutilations the print might not be so clear.

If the person’s print isn’t in the system the DNA is probably missing also, so there may be no help there.

Even with a witness there is no guarantee. The value of the witness is determined by how well they knew the victim, if they knew them at all, and/or how accurately they remember what they saw. Assuming, of course, they are willing to come forward.

I think you get the point.

One truth is not an answer or a conclusion. It is nothing more than one truth. You can make up a “missing finger” story and use that to guide your search for other truths but until you have more detail you can’t draw conclusions. Your hypothesis remains unproven.

But that’s not all. [Read more…] about Veritables: Truth Is Not Conclusive