Many people dismiss the accuracy of the Bible because in its pages we read of miracles. The skeptic thinks, “Miracles aren’t possible; therefore the Bible isn’t true.” The mistake many make is that they think that supernatural events are impossible. As I wrote about several weeks ago, the Cosmological Argument for the existence of God shows that it is reasonable to believe that the supernatural does indeed exist. Why? Because the scientific and philosophical evidence is overwhelming that the material universe is NOT all that there is, and that there must be a spaceless, timeless, immaterial cause of the material universe. And if God exists, then miracles are at least possible. And if miracles are possible, then the miracles we read about in the Bible are also possible. The parting of the Red Sea. The flood. Jesus walking on water. These are all at least possible if God does indeed exist. In the coming weeks I’ll be writing more about why it is reasonable to believe that miracles are not only possible, but actual. And of course the central miracle in the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, it is most certainly intellectually satisfying to follow Jesus. If you want to watch a short video on miracles, see below.
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I am not a trained philosopher or scientist, but those who are say that one of the most foundational questions is this: Why does anything exist at all? Philosophers speak of contingent existence and necessary existence. Things that exist contingently are things that don’t have to exist. Things that exist necessarily are things that cannot not exist. There are very few things that necessarily exist. Most of the things we are familiar with are things that exist contingently: cars, houses, people, and even the universe itself. It is possible to conceive of any of these things simply not existing. All of these things that exist contingently are caused by something else. So there must be something that exists necessarily (and is uncaused) in order for anything to exist at all. To me, this is strong evidence that God exists. In the Bible we see that God calls himself “I am.” And Jesus repeats this claim, saying “before Abraham was born, I am.” The Gospel of John also opens up with the famous prologue: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1:1-5 So why does anything exist? Because God exists. If God does not exist, we are hard pressed to explain why anything exists at all. Believing in the existence of God is a very reasonable belief. If you want to watch a short video on the Contingency Argument for the existence of God, you'll find it below. My brother-in-law was hurt in a work-related accident. My heart was compelled to go visit and sit with my sister as she faced this new reality. My heart said “go” but my head did not want to enter that ICU room with her and see the state of my brother.
When I walked into the room, I look towards the hospital bed and noticed that sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach and I experienced myself pulling away both with my body and my emotions. Then, I paused… and asked myself: “Is this how I want to show up for my sister and brother-in-law in their time of need?” As a result, I was able to decide to act the way I would want someone to act if I was the grieving wife or the injured husband in the bed. This month the freedom writers are writing about the idea of “abide”. How can one little word be so simple and yet so full? Some of the definitions from Webster: to bear patiently; to endure without yielding; to wait for; to accept without objection. intransitive verb: to remain stable or fixed in a state; to continue in a place: SOJOURN So…abiding in God, would be a way of waiting patiently for God and yielding without objection to what He shows us with stability and consistency. WOW! I was able to pause and notice because God was with me in that room. He had asked me to be there for my sister. I was able to pause because I was acting in love. I was able to pause because of God’s great love for me. It has been my experience that I am only able to “wait patiently for God and yield without objection, when I make time to invite God into my day and ask what He wants me to do. I am then able to truly know that He is with me in the day to day. And I can hold my sister’s hand as we together pray for my brother’s healing in an ICU room. I sat by my sister’s side that day and was even able to talk to and touch my brother’s hand. Time with God made me aware of His strength and enabled me to love. Mother Teresa said, “There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them. She added, “Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.” With Love, Christina Warmest greetings beautiful women of Cold Springs Church and community,
It's my joy to share with you this encouragement that's been on my heart and mind this week. As women, we inherently have a tendency to judge ourselves harshly and hold ourselves to a very high standard of conduct and performance. Perhaps it's because we are so many things to so many people at the same time. What a gift that is! We are each made up of varying degrees of mother/daughter, professional/career, woman and spiritual being, among many other things. This can easily turn our minds to the desire to do more, achieve higher, love more sacrificially. The great news is that this guilt-evoking self-talk undermines the very foundation of our Savior's GRACE for us! Our Heavenly Father wants us to REST in the assurance of his perfect love. He approves of you and I continuously for we are made in His image and clothed in His righteousness. Take a deep breath in that there is now no condemnation for you sister in Christ! You are enough and you're doing a great job! Caution yourself against the tendency for anxious works to creep in and steal the joy that God intended for you and I. "I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10 Many people today believe that absolute truth does not exist. If absolute truth does not exist, then certainly Christianity is not true. Jesus made unique claims about himself. For example, he said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) If this is true, it is true for everyone. If it is not true, it is not true for anyone. Truth is also exclusive. 1+2=3. That excludes lots of numbers: every number that is NOT “3”. Part of the problem many people have with Christianity is that it is exclusive; if Christianity is true, then any belief that contradicts Christianity is not true. But truth IS exclusive. The Christian faith is intellectually satisfying because it makes truth claims, and those claims are consistent with reality. If you want to take a look at a short (and humorous) video on truth, see below. |
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