A scientist decides that there really is a God

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I was looking at the books on the shelves of a shop in Weston-super-Mare when my eyes alighted upon a specific title.  It said in bold red letters, ‘THERE IS NO GOD”.  On closer inspection the word ‘No’ was crossed out and the letter ‘A’ had replaced it  and so it actually read, ‘THERE IS A GOD’. I could not resist purchasing the book especially as the sub-title said, ‘How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind’.  The book was written by Professor Antony Flew who had been a writer and defender of the philosophy of atheism for many years.

Books

Books have been published and produced for hundreds of years. Some people predicted their demise with the advent of modern technology, such as Kindles and other electronic devices for reading. 

However, as a visit to a bookshop makes clear, books are still being produced in large quantities in hard copy, both hardback and paperback. There are still vast numbers of people who love to hold a book and turn the pages, and many also find looking at a screen a numbing and difficult experience.  

Reading is vital for education and the gaining of information. The Apostle Paul, right up to the end of his life, maintained his reading regime as he asked, in the last letter he wrote addressed to Timothy, that books be forwarded to him and also the parchments (2 Timothy 4.13). The Apostle John, in a statement of hyperbole or exaggeration to make a point, said, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." (John 21.25). He indicates that we only have a sample in the Gospel accounts of the wonders and miracles performed by Jesus.  

Ukraine - lessons for life

 

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In February 2022, Ukraine quickly came to dominate news reports worldwide. People who disagree about all kinds of things are united in sorrow at the heart-breaking turn of events and in sympathy for the men, women and children who are suffering so much. Many have worked hard and given generously to help alleviate their plight.

The sad comment of one Ukrainian MP was that “history is just repeating itself time and time again, and I don’t understand what is wrong with us humans and humanity, why we don’t learn from the lessons.” That is true, and in His Word, the Bible, God tells us that we should take heed to and learn from events in the world. We will consider three obvious but vitally essential lessons from the current situation in Ukraine, which will be for your eternal blessing if you pay heed to them and act upon them.

Do you feel like the QE2? - left to rot

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The QE2 – the longest, widest, tallest, fastest and most expensive passenger liner when it was built – made 26 circumnavigations of the world and took more than three million passengers a staggering 5,875,264 nautical miles in glittering surroundings that were the epitome of luxury. 

Today, however, more than 55 years after she was launched, the once magnificent QE2 is a discarded shell taking on rainwater and slowly gathering rust alongside a spartan dockside in Dubai’s commercial harbour, Port Rashid. At a distance – and that’s how the security guards like to keep inquisitive tourists – the former Cunard flagship looks as if she is ready to cast off at any moment, full steam ahead on what would be her 1,375th voyage. Close up the reality is tragically different. Gone are the glorious days of pre-dinner cocktails in the Chart Room, formal meals at the captain’s table or late nights over liqueurs in the Yacht Club. No longer do bronzed couples on 80-day world cruises spend lazy hours on sunbeds or enjoy unhurried moonlit strolls around the teak deck.

Did Jesus really claim to be God?

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One of the recurring themes of Jesus’ teaching was explaining who He was and why He was here. He didn’t leave that issue open to conjecture. To people around Him, his most controversial and confrontational statements concerned His claim to be God.

God can really change your life!

 

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It is reported that there are 7.5 billion people living on planet earth today and sad to say not many of them could say that they have never misappropriated something that belonged to another person i.e. that they have not committed theft.  Possibly, the same could be said about lying but that is another subject.  The eighth commandment is “Thou shalt not steal”, the sixth is “Thou shalt not kill” the seventh “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, so God is precise in giving us an exact code of moral conduct for life.  The definition of theft is to dishonestly appropriate property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.  The word ‘theft’ covers many acts of misappropriation, larceny (theft of personal property), robbery, fraud (identity, benefits, expenses, mortgage, insurance, etc), embezzlement, and burglary.  The writer received six strokes of the cane at senior school for stealing apples from the school orchard, therefore, identifying himself with any other person that has violated the eighth commandment.  Other acts of misdemeanors before my conversion would be too shameful to share.  

How to fix it when you make mistakes!

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Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash

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Most of us mess up 'big style' from time to time, in my case regularly if I am being totally honest. When you make a mistake the best thing to do is to apologise. Some people seem to find it easier to say sorry than others. There are those for whom saying sorry is an automatic response mechanism which doesn't mean a lot. Others dig their heels in so saying sorry is a long way down the line even though in their heart they may feel that they are wrong and regret doing or saying what they did.

The other day, I was talking to some people about the Lord's prayer - you know - 'Our Father which art in heaven' and so on. If you remember saying this in school or church, you will probably remember that among many things it mentions forgiveness. Towards the end of the prayer it states - 'and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors[1]'. 

The interesting thing is that the Lord Jesus equates wrongdoing doing with debt. I think the idea is that when we do wrong (the Bible calls it sin) we owe God something. For instance, a lie robs God of the truth, greed robs God of something that should be for someone else. Failing to love and obey God robs Him of the worship and praise that He is due. Wrongdoing and sin also deprive us of many things amongst which are peace, joy, contentment and purpose.

We may not think that we have sinned or robbed God of anything but the Lord Jesus patently thought we had and so He built into His prayer a point at which we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.

I wonder when was the last time that you acknowledged that you were wrong. It would be a good thing to do to repair and maintain your relationships. It is also vital to repair your relationship with God. God is not so concerned about all the little things we do wrong (they are all evidence that we are sinners and we are still responsible for them) but He is very concerned that our sinful nature and behaviour will bar us from heaven. Heaven is a perfect environment and nothing that is sinful can exist there[2]. We cannot go to heaven as we are, but we can be forgiven and cleaned from our sin because Jesus 'Christ died for our sins . . . he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures’[3]. 

So, may I be direct with you when was the last time you said sorry? May I also ask if you have ever confessed your sin to God and asked for His forgiveness. The Bible promises that, 'if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (i.e. wrong)'[4]. This verse from the Bible is simply saying that God can be trusted (He is faithful) and He is fair (He is just) and that those who believe in Him can know and enjoy the forgiveness of sins.

Have a good day.

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[1] The Bible – Matthew 6. 12

[2] The Bible – Revelation 21. 27

[3] The Bible – 1 Corinthians 15. 3,4

[4] The Bible – 1 John 1. 9

What is a friend?

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A genuine friendship is the binding and bonding together of two people. Friendship is always preceded by self-giving. The first friend in the Bible was God Himself. God's first gift to Adam was another friend. God determined from the beginning that 'it was not good for man to be alone'. Friendship is based on the type of love, which is a desire for and a delight in the well-being of the one loved. This leads to an active and self-sacrificing effort on their behalf. God, Himself is the very essence of friendship.

A friend is someone we can be ourselves with. A friend is someone who knows our weaknesses and respects our strengths. It has been said:'The only way to have a friend is to be one'. A friend is a source of sunshine when we are under the weather; who believes in us when we cease to believe in ourselves. A friend is a source of celebration when we feel there is nothing to celebrate. A friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. 

Do you struggle to do what is right at times?

 

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Are you struggling to do something the Lord has asked you to do? Take a look at what the Lord Jesus did for you!

What will you read this weekend?

 

In Western culture, we almost take the ability to read for granted! Reading is such a basic requirement for life. 

The fact you understand what I am talking about in this article means that you can read! Essentially, it means that you can translate the squiggles and strokes on the page. If I am incapable of writing well or of expressing my ideas then you may read the words but have no idea what I'm trying to say. Therefore, reading with understanding is vital. 

Who was Jesus?

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Mar 15:39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

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 All that the centurion witnessed on that historic day brought him to this conclusion ‘truly this man was the Son of God’ As we consider all that the Saviour said and did, we conclude the same. How fundamental is this truth in days when so many try to deny it!

 Our passage today brings us to Calvary and reminds us of all that happened there. This day was pivotal in the history of the world. It was planned before the world began, spoken of in the Garden of Eden and illustrated by pictures and type throughout the Bible.

The Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of these events as the Lamb of God that bears away the sin of the world. Have you been to the foot of the cross and realised what the Saviour did for you? Have you bowed the knee in repentance and believed in your heart that it was for you personally that He died? Do you believe that the man who died on that cross that day was none other than the Son of God? If not, then this remains the single most important thing that you can do in your life. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!

Jesus Christ was a unique man. He was unique in His birth; born of a virgin Mat 1:23. He was unique in His life; in Him is no sin 1 Jn 3:5. He was unique in His death; death had no claim on Him. He was unique in His resurrection. There have been those who set out to disprove this truth of the resurrection and ended up writing about the evidence that supports it after they themselves came to trust the one that they wanted to disprove. Truly this man was the Son of God!  

What is greatest invention known to man?

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What do we all want to achieve in our lives?

That is a pretty searching question, but, if we are honest, we would all like to think that we have made some significant contribution to the world in the time we have spent here.

Even so, in actual fact, few of us make any real impact on society during our lives.  On the other hand, as we look at history there are some names that stand out in their contribution to the world. 

My education was in the sciences and names like Newton, Kelvin and Faraday were legendary in my experience, but so many of them brought contributions to science which, although they developed the working of science, were mostly theoretical. I am thinking of the Kelvin absolute temperature scale, Newton’s laws of motion and Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetic induction.

Faith, Hope and Love

 

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In the Bible, we read a lot about faith, hope and love. In fact, at the end of a well-known chapter about love (1 Corinthians 13), we read, “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”Perhaps these three have helped us to keep going all these difficult months, or maybe we feel we need them more.

 

Just now, for the move out of lockdown and the control of the pandemic, our faith is in the widespread vaccination programme's success. So far, it seems to be working well. The amazing work which has led to the design and availability of these vaccines has to be admired. It was all very costly, but to us, it’s free - to all who are willing to come and get their “jab” – just like how we can receive God’s gift of salvation!

 

And this gives us hope! As we used to know it, many aspects of life have been missing for such a long time. We have missed the simple pleasures of meeting friends and families, going where we wanted, of social gatherings, church meetings, holiday trips etc. We have been concerned about our young people with their education interrupted, and our business colleagues with their livelihoods threatened. All complicated – but we have reason to hope that it’s not for much longer.

Latin phrases

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Latin was obligatory when I was at school. It was one of the standard subjects on the curriculum. I actually quite enjoyed Latin despite the old adage we used to repeat under our breath:

Latins a dead language

As dead as dead can be 

First, it killed the Romans

And now, it’s killing me

It might have felt tough going at school, but it is actually beneficial to know some Latin as a lot of Latin motto’s can be found over the entrance of many listed buildings. For instance, the motto of the University of Oxford is ‘Dominus illuminatio mea’. These are the opening words of Psalm 27 (the Bible) meaning The Lord is my Light. One of the long-established independent schools on the Wirral has the motto ‘Beati Mundo Corde’. This means Blessed are the Pure in Heart, again a quotation taken out of the Bible (the Beatitudes). It is quite significant that public institutions saw the value of quoting the Bible. This book was once the backbone of our nation’s progress and development.

Do you think you are good enough for God?

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When we talk to others, there are always things that we do not mind them hearing and other things that we would be so ashamed of if they became public knowledge.

Some people will often tell you how they helped others, did a good deed or gave money to a charity. These things are good, of course, and we should do more things like this. However, it is possible to become proud or boastful about them.

Take care and heed the warnings!

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The new year did not bring us the relief from this awful pandemic that we hoped for – it has rather got worse. These new and more threatening strains of Coronavirus mean that uncertainty and risk are still with us. More lockdown is disappointing but necessary, and yet the rollout of vaccines is encouraging.

 

Governments continue to struggle with the decisions they have to make, and they need our prayers. People are struggling in many different ways, and they too need our prayers and what support we can offer. Our hearts go out to the many who are disadvantaged, lonely, and more depressed after all these months.

 

I think we are also alarmed at those who ignore the many clear warnings given about the risks posed by this virus. At least some of the present high numbers of infections and consequent deaths are due to carelessness, selfishness and neglect of the sound advice given regularly.