Do we comprehend the power of God? God’s magnificent power and glory are revealed in Exodus 33:20 where Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, says, “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me, and live.” And no one has seen God the Father and His glory at any time either (John 1:18; 5:37). On the other hand, both God beings have revealed Their power and glory through visions to Ezekiel in chapter 1 verse 26-28 and to Daniel in Daniel 7:9-14. Also, God’s omnipotence was explained to Job in the book of Job, chapters 38 and 39. God reveals in Matthew 19:26 that for God, ALL things are possible, which shows us His unlimited power. It is further stated in Jeremiah 32:17 that there is nothing too difficult for Him. There are no limits when it comes to God. He is infinite, All-knowing, ALL-capable, All-powerful and He is the Omega, the very Beginning of everything. He says: “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3:14). There is no one else out there like God. There are no restrictions when it comes to His ability to do ANYTHING, and NOTHING happens against His Will. And yet, many […]

Peer pressure can cause someone to act or do things beyond the usual norms of acceptable behavior in order to just be accepted by others or to conform to their desires and wishes. People want to be accepted and don’t want to appear weird or radically different from those with whom they associate—either at work, in the community or at the church they attend, because they want to fit in. The problem of caving in to peer pressure can lead to compromise and an erosion of one’s character. Exodus 32:1-4 provides a good example as to what happened when Aaron wanted to please the children of Israel. Exodus 32:1-4 says: “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people […]

We purchased a new kitchen nook this past week and on Sunday I put it together. There were a couple of times as I was building it that I didn’t read the instructions correctly and got to a certain point and realized something was wrong. So I had to take the project apart to the point where I misread or didn’t pay attention and then start again from that point. This also used to happen to me as a kid when building a Lego set. The instructions are always there but sometimes they just weren’t read correctly and then what was being built was incorrectly assembled. God is very precise. His instruction manual (the Bible) is there for us to learn from and to lean on. When we start to lean on our own understanding and stop seeking Him in ALL of our ways, then we start to build in a way that is off center and when we reach a critical point, we hopefully realize that we have been building in a wrong way, and then we have to start to tear down those bad ways and get back to the point where we are once again focused on how […]

We all know people who, at some point in their lives, disappointed us. Because of this, relationships can become so broken that there is no longer any contact. It may be leaders who fail, friends who let us down, family members who cause great offence or mates who sin by departing from the marriage and God’s Church. Sometimes there really is a somber and grim finality in which relationships end, without any hope of reconciliation or restoration. We understand that Satan and those angels who followed him in rebellion will be ultimately and absolutely cut off from God. Furthermore, people who refuse to repent, but who instead harden their heart, sear their conscience and completely reject God and His Way, will be destroyed. Sometimes, however, relationships can be restored! God, against Whom all of mankind have sinned, gave His Son to reconcile us to Himself (Romans 3:21-26; 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; 1 John 2:2). Through Jesus Christ, we can now have access to the Father (John 14:6; 16:26-27). Our part in this reconciliation is to repent and obey God. (Acts 2:38; 3:19-21). We are told, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” […]

I have a memory from an elementary school recess when my classmates and I were picking teams for a game of basketball. One of my classmates looked me in the face, and plainly said, “You’re weird.” I didn’t get the impression that it was intended to hurt my feelings, or to express that there was something “wrong” with me. It was just a simple statement made in a non-judgmental kind of way, expressing that I was different. Even then, I remember having a feeling of mutual agreement. I look back at that moment, now finding it quite humorous, because it wouldn’t be the last time my playful nature would be seen as being different and a little goofy. But there’s more to it than just a funny story. I look at that moment and find evidence of having confidence to think and act independently at an early age, not worrying if I didn’t fit into the compartments defined by society. I now see how early in my life God began working with me to develop a drive to search for the Truth and build the conviction to live by it, regardless of what others thought. Following in suit, I can […]

Just within the last few days, we have been confronted with terrible mass shootings in the USA. Reuters wrote on August 2 that “the teenager who opened fire with an assault rifle at a weekend food festival in Northern California died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Three people attending the festival were killed, including a 6-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, and a dozen others were injured, some seriously. Police said the gunman opened fire with an ‘AK47-variant’ of an assault-style rifle, which he had purchased legally in Nevada. A shotgun also purchased in Nevada was later found in his car.” On August 4, The Week wrote: “At least 20 people [as of August 7, 22 people] were… killed on Saturday in a shooting at a shopping center in El Paso and at least 40 people were… injured. A white male suspect in his 20s is… in custody.” It was stated that El Paso had been known as an extremely peaceful city and that the supposed murderer did not live anywhere near El Paso. Also, “at least nine people were killed [including his own sister] and 26 others were injured after a shooting in Dayton (Ohio) early on Sunday morning. The suspect, […]

Being grateful in our lives is a very important characteristic we must have to please God. We are instructed in Ephesians 5:20 to be “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And one of those “all” things is God’s Word, the Bible. In this day and age, it is easy to take for granted the opportunity we have to purchase Bibles so very readily. We can go to a local bookstore which usually has at least one version of the Bible available. We can order one of many different translations on-line. There are even free downloads of some older biblical versions available. But do we acknowledge that this ability is actually a great blessing for us that is not available in some countries and has not been available at all in past times? Here in Melbourne, Australia, a city with a population of just under five million, the number of religious bookstores has been reduced over the last forty years with some Protestant stores closing or going to on-line ordering only. General bookstores usually stock one or a few modern versions of the Bible amongst various other religious books […]

In our weekly Update number 235, dated March 17, 2006, there was a Q&A entitled, “Does it matter what a political leader does in private as long as he does his ‘public’ job effectively?”  We have had a leadership contest in the UK for the leadership of the Conservative party, following the resignation of the former incumbent, Theresa May. From an initial list of eleven, the final two candidates were chosen and have been in a run-off for the position leader of the party and Prime Minister of the UK.  The winning candidate has indeed had a well documented chequered personal lifestyle over many years until the present time and, although he is highly likeable and a charismatic figure, he would rate very poorly as a role model for those with high standards. It struck me that briefly re-visiting that Q&A from over 13 years ago would be a reminder of what really matters in the choice of someone for the top political position in the country. Below are just a few of the comments made in that Q&A: “The Dutch theologian and historian philosopher Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) said that ‘A man cannot govern a nation if he cannot govern a […]

Mankind’s vision of the universe is built upon an ever-changing landscape of understanding. The pursuit of scientific discovery, in what has become religion to many, causes foundations of knowledge to often shift.  What is understood today often replaces the understanding of our past. This fluidity of fact is considered part and parcel in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. No truth is unshakable if discovery proves it false. In a recent web article entitled, “New Hubble Data Breaks Scientists’ Understanding of the Universe,” the author, talking about the Hubble Constant, states, “The value was first calculated by astronomer Edwin Hubble in the 1920s. But since then, astronomers observing and measuring the universe’s expansion have arrived at different values of the Hubble Constant, none of which seem to agree with one another. The discrepancy calls into question not only our idea of how old the universe is, but also our ability to fundamentally understand the physics that drive its behavior.” The Hubble telescope, named in honor of Edwin Hubble, has called into question one of his fundamental truths. But for the scientific community, this is part of the process in gaining understanding. The earth was once flat until discovery proved it to be […]

In our daily lives, we have a plan.  We plan on getting things done. We make plans for the day and for the week and, in general, future plans to achieve our goals.  We may not always fulfill them, but our plan is to do so.  There may be several hurdles over which we need to jump to get to that finish line, and perhaps thoughts of giving up may come into our minds, but then we catch ourselves veering away and no matter how difficult it may be at times, we ultimately end up sticking to the plan.  Just as we have a plan to accomplish whatever goals we may have, God also has a plan for us! So how is it then that the trials we go through seem to be so overwhelming at specific times, but soon thereafter, we are able to get through them?  We have help!  God is there to guide us and through the power of prayer with faith, we place it all in God’s hands. He knows! He knows our struggles. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, and so does Satan.     Satan knows where we are vulnerable, which is why we are tested and tempted time and time again. As we know this, we are to “count it all joy when [we] fall into various trials knowing […]