Truth

, , ,

The power of conviction

, , ,
The power of conviction

There’s a big difference between an opinion and a conviction.

And the difference is this. A conviction is an opinion acted on, regardless of the cost.

Plenty of people have opinions. Opinions are cheap. They don’t cost you anything. But it’s another story with convictions. Having a conviction may cost you everything. Maybe that’s why it sometimes seems very few people actually have many. Some people appear to have none at all!

Martin Luther nailed his convictions to the church door five hundred years ago. It cost him dearly. He suffered untold attack and persecution and was fortunate to have escaped with his life. But Luther and his convictions changed the course of history.

, , , ,

The in-between

, , , ,
The in-between

There are lots of ways to ask the question.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do Christians suffer?

Why does God not seem to answer prayer?

Why am I going through this?

Is God still with me?

The answer, which is never going to be complete in this life, boils down to one phrase: life in the in-between.

, ,

The worst enemy of the kingdom

, ,
The worst enemy of the kingdom

The great British Bible teacher David Pawson was in fine form. Visiting a rather traditional church with a large choir, he made this statement: “Sentimentality is the worst enemy of the kingdom.” And then he stuck his hand out in the general direction of the choir and said, “That is sentimentality!”

I never ceased to be amazed he was not shot from behind before he finished the rest of his message.

You may argue with the way he made his point, but the point itself is worth considering.

, , ,

Preparing - but for what?

, , ,
Preparing - but for what?

Yesterday we walked past a recently closed diner. In the window was a sign with these words: “Prepare to meet thy God.” Hmmm. Was the food really that bad?

Then I talked with my friend Stuart, living in the eye of an epic hurricane in Houston. I asked him how he was preparing for the storm.

We did a lot of things to prepare for our move. The list seemed endless, and we just had to work our way through it. I’m glad we did, because now we are reaping the benefits of our preparation.