NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Christmas Story: Comparing The Supporting Characters

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Knowledge is important. Discernment is essential.

Zacharias And Simeon
Are Similar Yet Different
Both Add Richness
To The Story

There are many supporting characters in the Christmas Story. Some have very short roles but they all add richness to the plot. Because they are diverse, they symbolize different types of believers.

More on that later.

Two characters that illustrate this are Zacharias (Luke 1:5-25) and Simeon (Luke 2:21-35). They were alike in many ways but very different also. Neither could be called an unbeliever but each expressed their belief in different ways as the following comparison shows: [Read more…] about Christmas Story: Comparing The Supporting Characters

Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

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Does purpose replace or reinforce tithing?

Tithers Offer Confused Instructions
But
Anti-Tithers Give None At All
Other Than Don’t Tithe

The definition of tithing is really straightforward. The word means one-tenth or ten percent and it is the designated amount of one’s income dedicated for God’s purposes. A “Tither” is someone who contributes ten percent of their income to God.

But don’t let that simple definition fool you. Tithing isn’t an easy topic to dissect. Every tither agrees on the ten percent part but they don’t all agree on how to calculate it or how it should be applied. “Tithe” can mean one thing for one person and something very different for another. The differences can be significant. Questions abound.

Tithers argue over which portion of their income should be included when calculating the tithe. Are we tithing on gross income or net? Stated more precisely, the question is “Ten percent of what?”

But the debate doesn’t stop there.

Those who say “Net” don’t agree on why it should be net instead of gross and they offer a variety of different formulas to calculate net. Some eliminate only their taxes before calculating the tithe and others eliminate more.

The same is true for gross tithers. They can’t say why it should be gross or what constitutes gross. In extreme cases, the definition of “gross” expands to include things like birthday gifts and student loans. Obsessive!

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Because the Bible never addresses these issues directly, gross tithers have to use stern looks and a demanding voice to force the issue. Emotional strong-arming.

In one internet conversation, a man complained that his pastor refused to accept his offering because it was calculated differently to what the pastor taught and was therefore tainted.

That mindset gives tithing a legalistic hue and it is this enforcement attitude to which many anti-tithers react. [Read more…] about Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

Finding God In Life – But Which Life?

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Life should be measured more by meaning than time.

Two Questions:
How Much of a Life Do You Have?
And
Which One Are You Living?

God is a part of our lives constantly. He is present and aware everyday, every moment of everyday . Nothing goes unseen by Him. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

We, however, sometimes scratch our heads in wonderment thinking,

“where are You now God, when I need You most?”

The answer is He’s right where He’s always been. He hasn’t moved or changed. He operates by the same principles for everyone.

Deep down we know this is true but still question Him anyway not because He isn’t present but because He isn’t doing exactly what we asked – resolve some horribly embarrassing dilemma immediately – and instead of questioning our request or motive or approach we assume He didn’t hear or can’t answer or is being passive aggressive.

Saying nothing or doing nothing, however, is a response.

When He doesn’t give us what we ask for, the correct assumption is to think He wants us to change our perspective. He isn’t the talisman that helps us solve life’s problems. He provides the wisdom to solve these problems and then expects us to do something with it.

If we are going to find Him in life, we are the ones who must change.

The problem is most of us don’t really know what “Life” is. What does that term really mean? And defining “Life” isn’t the only problem. According to Jesus we can adopt one of two possible life’s so after we define the term we need to figure out which one we’re living. [Read more…] about Finding God In Life – But Which Life?

Spend Sabbaths – Save Money – Live Longer

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There are several events in the Bible that critics love to focus on, one of which is the stoning of a Sabbath-breaker (Numbers 15:32-36). The event occurred about a year and a half after the Exodus and within a few months of leaving Mt. Sinai. Unfortunately, it is one story that is easily construed to impugn God’s benevolence. Following are the facts:

A man was found picking up “sticks” on the Sabbath and immediately taken to Moses. This was a no-no. Work on the Sabbath was not allowed. It was declared a day of rest in perpetuity and the penalty for breaking this law was death (Exodus 31:13-17). Sounds a bit severe. Even the Israelites hesitated. Before acting on what the law clearly stated they put the man in hold while Moses consulted with God.

And the answer?

Execute the man publicly. All Israel was to stone him to death which means everyone, young and old alike, were aware of this stoning, and the reason for it, in real-time. They not only witnessed it they participated. Seems gruesome! Glad I wasn’t there. [Read more…] about Spend Sabbaths – Save Money – Live Longer

OT Law – Restrictive Not Prescriptive

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Prominent use of the death penalty reflects poorly on society.

Commands And Laws
Never Change
Statures Always Do

Exodus through Deuteronomy are the four books of the Old Testament that contain what is called the Law of Moses and these laws are the topic of many discussions.

Some people misguidedly attempt to superimpose these laws on today’s cultures, a hopeless and useless endeavor. 

Refrigeration and modern farming methods have made Old Testament dietary restrictions obsolete.  We eat pork today with no nutritive repercussions.  Even in Jesus’ day improved food handling had overcome the obvious dangers of eating “unclean” animals.

Of course, Old Testament laws are not all given an equal hearing. Some people attempt to uphold certain laws while completely ignoring others.  We love the laws relating to monogamous marriage but are a bit embarrassed to admit polygamy was regulated rather than run out of town. Regulation, however, wasn’t meant to endorse polygamy but was rather a way of controlling it or keeping it from getting out of control. The plan worked. You rarely hear of polygamous marriages in most Bible-influenced societies today.

Moralists today are adamant about one and embarrassed by the other. It’s difficult to argue loudly for monogamy from an Old Testament perspective without getting tripped up by the likes of Jacob, David, and Solomon to name a few. It raises additional questions also: Why wasn’t polyandry regulated? And a question like that opens the door for discussions about chauvinistic tendencies in OT history. [Read more…] about OT Law – Restrictive Not Prescriptive