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Good morning tenac. I enjoyed reading that.
What peace it brings to the Christian's heart to realize that our Heavenly Father never differs from Himself. In coming to Him at any time we need not wonder whether we shall find Him in a receptive mood. He is always receptive to misery and need, as well as to love and faith. He does not keep office hours nor set aside periods when He will see no one. Neither does He change His mind about anything. Today, this moment, He feels toward His creatures, toward babies, toward the sick, the fallen, the sinful, exactly as He did when He sent His only begotten Son into the world to die for mankind.
God never changes moods or cools off in His affections or loses enthusiasm. His attitude toward sin is now the same as it was when He drove out the sinful man from the eastward garden, and His attitude toward the sinner the same as when He stretched forth His hands and cried, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part. "I am the Lord, I change not." We have but to meet His clearly stated terms, bring our lives into accord with His revealed will, and His infinite power will become instantly operative toward us in the manner set forth through the gospel in the Scriptures of truth.
from "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer
week 6: New Orleans
Thanks
Too many people look at government first when things are going wrong. Dr. Stanley has it right.
"So where should we turn when things get difficult and challenging? The president? The Congress? The candidates in the upcoming election? My friend, you need to look in only one place for the answer ... the Word of God."
Yes I see it. Thanks
Very good article excel. I saved it.
"Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its trust not in the living God but in dying men."
from "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer
"God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary work"
from a sign I saw while driving home today
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17 (NLT)
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
Luke 5:17-20 (NIV)
Question: "Is the United States a Christian nation?"
Answer: The best way to determine whether or not the United States is a Christian nation is to compare the philosophy of the United States with Christianity and see if they match. While there are many angles, both historical and social, from which this question can be answered, it is our core beliefs and how those beliefs affect our lifestyle, that ultimately tells others who we are. The “American Ideal” as set out in the Constitution is the idea that every person has certain God-given, unalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This philosophical ideal drives the United States in everything from its economic and foreign policy to the private lives of its people.
But the question is: does this American ideal gel with the Christian worldview? Did the American ideal come out of Christianity? What does Christianity have in common with the American ideal? Can we really call the United States a Christian nation? To find answers, let’s look at the three elements of the American Ideal and compare them to the standard of Christian thought—the Bible. First, we’ll tackle the concept of life, and what that means, not necessarily to the founding fathers, but to the average American citizen today.
Life according to the American ideal: When Americans say we have a right to life, they mean simply that nobody should be able to take life from another person. We each have a right to be alive, they would say, just by virtue of having been born. It also implies that we have the right to do with our lives as we choose, because our lives belong to us. These two concepts form the basis of the right to life per the American ideal. But when taken together, they have been the source of much controversy, especially in the abortion debate. The child’s right to life is in conflict with the mother’s right to choose what happens to her own life should she bear a child. Conversely, there are those who willingly give up their right to life in order to protect the lives of others. The police, firefighters, and the military give up their right to life to secure it for others. It’s all a matter of choice based on personal conviction about the value of life, not upon any external standard which is universally applicable to everyone.
Life according to Biblical Christianity: Christianity agrees that we have the “right to life” and recognizes that life comes from the Creator, just as the Constitution says. However, the Christian (biblical) view is that the right to live does not exist by virtue of being born, but by virtue of being created first in the mind of God (Jeremiah 1:5). This truth leads to an understanding that the day-old embryo in the womb is just as much a human being—and is just as deserving of life—as any adult. Acts 17:25 says that God “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” Clearly, the Bible is saying here that the life of man is given to and sustained by God, and it is for those reasons that we have the right to life.
The second concept of life according to the American ideal is that we are free to do with our lives just as we please because our lives belong to us. But the Bible shows a completely different perspective. First, for Christians, our lives are not our own. First Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” and that price was the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, where He exchanged His perfect life for our sin and made us new creations in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Colossians 3:3 says, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Our lives now belong to God and to the body of Christ. Second, we are not to cling to our lives, but be willing to give them up for a life lived for God and for others, leading to eternal joy. Jesus also shows that man decides what he will do with his life when He says, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life”(John 12:25). Men do have a choice as to how they will live. But the one who loves life here in this world, the Bible says, will lose his or her life in the end, as opposed to the one who “hates” life here. That person will receive eternal life, and he knows that when he dies Jesus will receive him into heaven. His real life is there anyway.
Liberty according to the American Ideal philosophy: Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and the freedom to bear arms are some of the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights. All of these freedoms are good things valued greatly by Americans. But it must be remembered that our founding documents were written at a time when the Judeo-Christian ethic was accepted—even by those who were not Jews or Christians—as the underlying principle upon which our freedoms rested. For example, the freedoms of speech and the press were granted to a people who understood that lying and deceiving for personal or political gain was wrong, and the basis of that judgment about right and wrong came from the Bible. Today, however, Americans have, for the most part, rejected the Bible as the standard of right and wrong, and now liberty has an additional meaning: it means that we are ultimately free to do whatever we want. It means that we control our own destiny—or that we should—and nobody can tell another person what is right or what they should value. Everything is subjective. In fact, “choice” has become the only thing we truly value. We are tolerant above all, but only because to put down another person’s freedom is to endanger our own liberty and nobody wants that. The dilemma that arises here is when the question of good and evil comes up. What if what feels wrong to me feels right to somebody else? Who is right and who is wrong? And of course, the popular answer is that we are both right. You have your way, and I have mine.
Liberty according to Biblical Christian philosophy: The Bible agrees that freedom and liberty are good and right. The Apostle Paul encourages us to be free and to not be tied down to legalistic behavior that will make our lives difficult. He tells us we have freedom as Christ’s followers, because we trust in His righteousness, instead of our own. He says “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Gal. 5:13-15). So God wants His children to be free, but not to be free of Him or of His principles. He does not want us to use our freedom to pursue selfishness, but to love Him and to love our neighbors. The American way is to do what the Bible says not to do, to “use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature” which means to use it to justify sin. The Christian is not to blur the lines between good and evil in the name of freedom. The Bible makes many clear distinctions as to what is good and what is evil, and the Christian lives by the biblical view on these things. But someone who follows the philosophy of the modern idea of the American Ideal says that whatever feels good IS good, and they give no thought to God’s standards.
The Pursuit of Happiness according to the American Ideal philosophy: The pursuit of happiness is the most interesting of the three parts of the American Ideal and the one that puts the most distance between the American Ideal philosophy and Christian thought. Pursue happiness, the American is told, at the cost of all else. If it makes you happy to leave your wife and children, do it. If it makes you happy to devote your life to stardom at the expense of friends and family members, you should follow your dream. If you are a man but you think being a woman will make you happy, have a sex change. Play video games 10 hours a day? Drink yourself to death? Get married to your dog? Sure, if it makes you happy! The original intent of the framers of the Constitution was to affirm the right to pursue happiness—not that every man has the right to be happy—and that he should have the right to pursue happiness but not at the cost of someone else’s freedom to pursue happiness. Here again the Judeo-Christian ethic of “love thy neighbor” was understood as a foundational principle upon which to base our right to pursue happiness. But it has changed over the years to mean a right to pursue individual pleasure, no matter how strange the means, without being judged by your fellow man and without regard to how that pursuit affects the other person’s rights or freedoms.
The Pursuit of Happiness according to Biblical Christian philosophy: Happiness is, biblically speaking, an emotion that is welcomed, but not sought after. Joy, on the other hand, is sought after, but joy is quite different from happiness. Joy is a spiritual contentment and pleasure that comes from the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said that he had “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11), and Paul’s circumstances were hardly the sort to produce happiness: beatings, stoning, shipwreck, hunger, thirst and danger. But his joy and peace were from God, not from his circumstances. The American Ideal says to pursue at all cost happiness in our lives here in this world. But consider the following verse from Mark 8:36: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Nothing is gained from pursuing comfort and happiness here on earth. The Christian person is to pursue other things: “…pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22) “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). And the most beautiful part is that God rewards richly those who seek Him rather than seeking their own happiness. He gives them all they need and real joy that lasts forever.
So is the United States a Christian nation? Not in its philosophy, or in what it loves, or in what it does. Despite its Christian roots and heritage, the United States today is a nation that follows the god of self, and that is not the heart of Christianity.
http://www.gotquestions.org/
Rays Angels Phillies Cubs
Rays Phillies
Phillies in 6
week 5: Carolina
Thanks
week 4: Jacksonville
Thanks
Question: "How can I become more Christ-like?"
Answer: Becoming more like Christ is the desire of every believer, and it is encouraging to know that God has the same desire for us. In fact, the Bible says that God “predestined [believers] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). Making us Christ-like is God’s work, and He will see it through to the end (Philippians 1:6).
However, the fact that God will transform us into Christ-likeness doesn’t mean we can sit back and be carried to heaven “on flow’ry beds of ease.” The process demands our willing cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Becoming more Christ-like requires both divine power and the fulfillment of human responsibility.
There are three things which contribute to our being more Christ-like: our surrender to God, our freedom from sin, and our spiritual growth.
1) Becoming more Christ-like is the result of surrender to God. Romans 12:1-2 says that worship involves a total self-dedication to God. We volunteer our bodies as “living sacrifices,” and our minds are renewed and transformed.
When Jesus said, “Follow me,” Levi left his money tables immediately (Mark 2:14); so do we freely surrender all we have for the sake of following the Lord. As John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30), so we focus more and more on Jesus and His glory, losing ourselves in His will.
2) Becoming more Christ-like is the result of freedom from sin. Since Jesus lived a sinless life, the more we consider ourselves “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11) and live a life of purity, the more like Jesus we will be. As we offer ourselves to God, sin is no longer our master, and we are more clearly identified with Christ (Romans 6:1-14).
Jesus invites us to follow Him, and we have His example of obedience (John 15:10), sacrificial love (John 15:12-13), and patient suffering (1 Peter 2:19-23). We also have the example of the apostles, who modeled Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
When it comes to restraining sin in our lives, we have divine help: praise the Lord for the Word of God (Psalm 119:11), the intercession of Christ (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25), and the power of the Spirit who indwells us (Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16)!
3) Becoming more Christ-like is the result of Christian growth. When we are first saved, we are immature in wisdom and knowledge, and inexperienced in grace and love. But then we grow. In each of these things, our charge is to become stronger—and more Christ-like. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 3:12).
Right now, God works in us: “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). One day, however, the process will be complete: “When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). The promise of being fully Christ-like in the future is in itself motivation for becoming more Christ-like now: “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).
32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32 (KJV)
week 3: Buffalo
Thanks
the Apostle Paul in a letter to Titus
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)
3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Titus 3:3-8 (NIV)
Yes. He's a great hitter. Career .335 avg 961 RBI's 315 HR's and he's only 28. Should have many good years left.
Pujols gets 100 RBIs eighth straight year
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Albert Pujols became the third player in major league history to drive in 100 runs in each of his first eight seasons when he hit an RBI double in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ game against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
The only other players to accomplish the feat were Al Simmons, who did it his first 11 seasons, and Ted Williams, who did it in his first eight. Pujols also extended his major league-record streak of 30 homers and 100 RBIs in a season to start a career.
He has nine RBIs in his last five games and was batting .362, in contention with the Braves’ Chipper Jones for a second batting title.
Be Like Christ
1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11 (NASB)
"So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society."
President John Quincy Adams
I found this list at Wikipedia of players that have had "Tommy John" surgery (middle of page). Most were pitchers but some were position players.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_John_surgery
"Full rehabilitation takes about a year for pitchers and about six months for position players."
This is good news for Cardinal fans. He might not miss too much of the 09 season.
week 2 Kansas City
Thanks
Cardinals 1B Pujols leaning toward surgery
ST. LOUIS (TICKER) —St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols apparently has recognized that he may no longer be able to put off surgery.
Pujols told a St. Louis television station Monday that he is leaning toward undergoing “Tommy John” surgery on his right elbow once the season ends.
“The sooner I get it done, the better it’s going to be for me because I’m going to heal quicker than if I wait two or three more years,” the slugger told KSDK-TV. “It needs to be done.”
Pujols has had a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow since 2003, but has continued to play through the injury. However, the elbow became worse last season, and Pujols considered surgery before the start of this year.
The Cardinals said they will determine a course of action after meeting with Pujols following the season.
“We are sensitive to Albert’s stated concerns,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “At no time would we ever ask Albert to consider anything other than what is best for his career and future health.”
The problem has hardly limited Pujols’ production, as he is enjoying another stellar campaign, batting .359 with 32 home runs and 95 RBI. He needs five RBI to reach the century mark for the eighth straight season.
The 2005 National League MVP, Pujols is a career .334 hitter with 314 homers and 956 RBI in seven-plus seasons spent exclusively with the Cardinals. The seven-time All-Star has hit at least 32 homers every season.
29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
1Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,
2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.
3So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.
4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
5so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
7Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Galatians 3:29-4:7 (NASB)
San Diego for week 1
Thanks
16Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NASB)
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20 (NIV)
Sorry it took so long to reply. I spent the weekend in Nashville.
Not sure who wrote it. I found it at GotQuestions.org here's the link.
http://www.gotquestions.org/questweek.html
Question: "What is cultural relativism?"
Answer: Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs.
Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong or good and bad. Today’s anthropologist considers all cultures to be equally legitimate expressions of human existence, to be studied from a purely neutral perspective.
Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society.
Cultural relativism sees nothing inherently wrong (and nothing inherently good) with any cultural expression. So, the ancient Mayan practices of self-mutilation and human sacrifice are neither good nor bad; they are simply cultural distinctives, akin to the American custom of shooting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Human sacrifice and fireworks—both are simply different products of separate socialization.
In January 2002, when President Bush referred to terrorist nations as an “axis of evil,” the cultural relativists were mortified. That any society would call another society “evil” is anathema to the relativist. The current movement to “understand” radical Islam—rather than to fight it—is a sign that relativism is making gains. The cultural relativist believes Westerners should not impose their ideas on the Islamic world, including the idea that the suicide bombing of civilians is evil. Islamic belief in the necessity of jihad is just as valid as any belief in Western civilization, the relativists assert, and America is as much to blame for the attacks of 9/11 as are the terrorists.
Cultural relativists are generally opposed to missionary work. When the Gospel penetrates hearts and changes lives, some cultural change always follows. For example, when Don and Carol Richardson evangelized the Sawi tribe of the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962, the Sawi changed: specifically, they gave up their long-held customs of cannibalism and immolating widows on their husbands’ funeral pyres. The cultural relativists may accuse the Richardsons of cultural imperialism, but most of the world would agree that ending cannibalism is a good thing. (For the complete story of the Sawis’ conversion as well as an exposition of cultural reform as it relates to missions, see Don Richardson’s book Peace Child.)
As Christians, we value all people, regardless of culture, because we recognize that all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We also recognize that diversity of culture is a beautiful thing and differences in food, clothing, language, etc., should be preserved and appreciated. At the same time, we know that because of sin, not all beliefs and practices within a culture are godly or culturally beneficial. Truth is not subjective (John 17:17); truth is absolute, and there does exist a moral standard to which all people of every culture will be held accountable (Revelation 20:11-12).
Our goal as missionaries is not to westernize the world. Rather, it is to bring the good news of salvation in Christ to the world. The Gospel message will kindle social reform to the extent that any society whose practices are out of step with God’s moral standard—idolatry, polygamy, and slavery, for example—will come to an end as the Word of God prevails (see Acts 19). In amoral issues, missionaries seek to preserve and honor the culture of the people they serve.
Good morning tenac. That was a good story.
1"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2"In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4"And you know the way where I am going."
5Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"
6Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:1-6 NASB
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:35-40 (NIV)
Hello excel. Thanks. I enjoy reading this board.
Hello tenac. I'm doing pretty good. I'm up in the early morning hours trading currencies and read the "Christian Rock Cafe" board whenever I get a chance. I like reading your post. Esp. the ones with MacArthur and Stanley.
It's true what you say. People look the wrong way to their gods. Money, politics, power and other things our culture tells us is important. Not enough focus where it should be...on Christ.
Hello everyone. Been a long time since I posted on this board. Hope everybody's doing well. Saw this question and answer about why there are so many religions and thought I'd post it.
Question: "Why are there so many religions? Do all religions lead to God?"
Answer: The existence of so many religions and the claim that all religions lead to God without question confuses many who are earnestly seeking the truth about God, with the end result sometimes being that people throw up their hands in defeat at the challenge of really reaching the absolute truth on the subject. Or they end up embracing the universalist claim that all religions lead to God. Of course, skeptics also point to the existence of so many religions as proof that either you cannot know God or that God simply does not exist.
Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions: "...what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The meaning of these Scriptures is clear. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, most human beings reject it and seek their own way to understand God instead. But this leads not to enlightenment regarding God, but to futility of thinking. Here is where we find the basis of the “many religions.”
Many people do not want to believe in a God that demands righteousness and morality, so they invent a God who makes no such requirements. Many people do not want to believe in a God that declares it impossible for people to earn their own way to heaven by their own good deeds. So they invent a God who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules, and/or obeyed certain laws, as least to the best of their ability. Many people do not want a relationship with a God who is sovereign and omnipotent. So they imagine God as being more of a mystical force than a personal and sovereign ruler.
The existence of so many religions is not an argument against God's existence or an argument that truth about God is not clear. Rather, the existence of so many religions is demonstration of humanity's rejection of the one true God and their replacement of Him with gods that are more to their liking. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8).
Do all religions lead to God? Actually they do. All but one leads to His judgment, and only one leads to His forgiveness and eternal life—Christianity. No matter what religion one adheres to, everyone will meet God after death (Hebrews 9:27). All religions lead to God, but only one religion will result in God's acceptance, because only through His divine plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone approach Him with confidence. The decision to embrace the truth about God is an important one for a simple reason: eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. This is why right thinking about God is so critical.
4/12
all bets $10 to show
1. 2
2. 5
3. 2
4. 5
5. 2
6. 8
7. 7
8. 3
9. 8
10. 9
if any scratches #1
4/11
all bets $10 to show
1. 1
2. 3
3. 4
4. 3
5. 3
6. 9
7. 4
8. 3
9. 5
10. 1
if any scratches #2