Think About It

I love the thought of forgiveness.   In religion, there may be no more welcome concept than the belief that God can and will forgive us.   However, as we bank on forgiveness, we must not become too lax in following through with another Biblical concept – obedience.   It brings peace and comfort to count on mercy, but that doesn’t give us license to do whatever we want.   This libertinism might be present in our modern society, but it’s not our creation.   At least the thought that believers might become too imbalanced seemed to prompt Paul to write, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?    May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).   Not only is using freedom for a life of disobedience inappropriate, but it is also unimaginable. Let’s be thankful for the gift of grace we have been offered, but let’s not neglect our responsibility and accountability.   W...

It seems like every time we have a dust-up in the Middle East, there is a cry that the end is near.   I have been around, watching the world for several decades and can’t tell you how many times someone, somewhere has predicted the beginning of the end of times.   Now, before I go on, please understand that I believe that this world is headed for eventual and eternal destruction – I am just not sure that it will be as obvious as a Middle Eastern skirmish.   At the beginning of the Christian era, believers were cautioned, “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.” (I Thessalonians 5:1-3).   As I read this, the ...

How much do we know about Philemon?   While a letter to him is one of the 27 books of the New Testament, a lot of people may not know much about him.   If we do know something about him, it might be that his letter is one of the shortest of Paul’s epistles or that he was a slave owner.   However, as I was looking at the book I gained some insight into him.   The Apostle Paul noted, “ For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” (Philemon 7).   That’s kind of a cool way to be remembered down through the ages, isn’t it!   Philemon can forever be known for his love and encouragement.   Sometimes it is tempting to think that we make an impression by the cool things we can do; but maybe a better way to be remembered is by demonstrating love to the people around us.   When we care about others, we can help them to be restored and reenergized. ...

Today is a historic day.  On this day in 1963, the Hula Hoop was patented – and life hasn’t been the same ever since.  According to an article I read, it began to be marketed by Wham-O back in 1958, but the patent was granted to Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr in the 1960s.  (These were the same guys who invented the Pluto Platter – aka Frisbee – back in 1957.)  I don’t know how many millions of units of these plastic rings have been sold; but the Hula Hoop is firmly established in Americana. I have to be honest, I have never been really good at hoola-hooping, but I believe it can teach us a lesson about life.  The key to keeping a hoop spinning is to stay active.  As soon as we stop shimmying and shaking, gravity takes over and the toy falls to the ground.  The only way to keep playing is to keep moving.  Isn’t there a parallel in life?  If we hope to stay in the game, we have to keep moving.  Idleness can cause us to lose our zeal and g...

When I watch Dick Van Dyke on the “oldies” television channels, it is hard to believe that he is 100 years old.   I still think of him as the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins or the handsome and suave television writer in his sitcom.   But time marches on … and so does Dick Van Dyke.   The other day I did some research and came across an interesting observation of his, “Just knowing you don’t have the answers is a recipe for humility, openness, acceptance, forgiveness, and an eagerness to learn – and those are all good things.”.   Typically, when we think about acceptance, our first inclination is to be the smartest kid in the room; however, if we really want to fit in, we need to be honest about who we are and what we know.   Few people are genuinely accepted by being arrogant or headstrong.   Most people are able to build lasting relationships by accepting themselves for who they are and admitting the deficiencies in their lives.   No one expects us to ...

Have you got life figured out, yet?   Okay, okay – I can hear the smirks.   Most of us would readily admit that there are times we don’t understand the questions much less have the answers!   Even though there are people who advocate that life is simple, the truth is that we are complex human beings dealing with complex problems in a complex world.   I believe that we tend to make it even more difficult by trying to make all the pieces fit together in a way that makes us feel comfortable.   Unfortunately, life is not only not fair; there are a lot of times it doesn’t make sense.   So, how do we live successful lives?   I think the answer is to seek wisdom.   We may not always be able to answer the question, “Why?”; but when we search for “How?” – as in how do we make the best of this situation – we are more apt to be successful.   We may never truly understand why things happen the way they do, but when we seek to focus on moving forward with...