Do you think for yourself?

 

My advice - take a look at the Bible for yourself.

Don’t just take my word for it. See for yourself if it makes sense. I believe that the Bible changes lives through faith in the author (God). My view reflects what the Bible claims - for instance, in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15, it states, 'from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus'. Another passage says, 'faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God,' Romans 10. 17.  The fact is that many people are afraid to read the Bible because they don’t know what it is about, and they either don't care or are frightened that it might get to them.

Let me ask you some questions. 

What if everything you need for living, this life and the next, is in the Bible? 

What if God is the creator, and you are answerable to Him? 

What if we are all sinners and need redemption, forgiveness and a new beginning?

What if we can't make sense of this life without God, and He really is the missing piece we need?

We were created to know Him and to worship Him. I believe what I am saying is true, and you need God in your life. But, at the end of the day, the only reason you will miss out is because you never got around to reading the Bible. You never evaluated whether Jesus is who he claimed to be. You didn't take the time to look into who Jesus was, why he died, why people died for the belief that He rose from the dead and why He is still being talked about 2020 years later.

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You could end life far from all you were created to know and enjoy (life, peace, joy, justice, delight, purpose and so on) because you didn't take the time to look into the message of the Bible (called the gospel).

Many have been brainwashed into thinking that the Bible is irrelevant and outdated. As a Christian, I don’t believe that this is true.

I believe that the Bible is God’s message to humans. It explains things we could not discover with our normal human facilities - science, legal investigation for evidence or research. 

Having said that, we need to be careful not to assume then that the Bible is just a book of legendary tales that have been passed from generation to generation. The truthfulness of the Bible can be verified in many ways. History, archaeology, science, meteorology, and many other disciplines have demonstrated that the Bible is a factually accurate book. However, bear in mind that it was written when most of these areas of expertise were either in their infancy or undefined as disciplines. 

How did the Bible writers know that there were paths in the oceans, Psalm 8.8, or that all that is needed to sustain life is transported and regulated through blood, Leviticus 17:11? These are only two examples - there are many more. I believe that God has demonstrated in the Bible that He knows all about our physical needs and environment, i.e. he explains the things we know about and have some understanding about to get us to listen when he talks to us about the things that we have no understanding of and need help to understand, i.e. our origin, our destiny and our spiritual needs etc.

In light of my comments, please read the Bible with an open mind - the scripture says, ‘these things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name, John 20:31, the Bible.

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Thank you for the music

The summer has nearly gone, and we are just getting out and about. One of the strange things about the COVID-19 rules is the recommendation not to sing in public gatherings. Singing is good for the soul. It lifts your spirits and creates a sense of community and kinship. I, for one, have missed community singing. Music and songs create passion in our hearts and evoke vivid memories. 

A very effective method of learning is linked to the rhythm of repeating words that somehow glue the words or the facts to our minds. Most of us didn’t necessarily enjoy it but we often learned facts or figures by musical rhythm. If you went to Sunday School you may remember the learning Bible verses by rote, for example, “For God so loved the world …” or “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ …” or maybe “Honour your Father and your Mother”. All of this was to get some important facts from the Bible into your young mind for the purpose of living life and one-day meeting God.   

Wisdom Literature

 

As anyone who reads this column knows, I love reading the Bible and believe it is the ultimate source of wisdom for every area of life. One section of the Bible comes under the heading of 'wisdom literature'. It starts with the book of Job, where the meaning and purpose of suffering are discussed. It's a thorny problem and one where glib answers are not appropriate. As Job struggles through circumstances that challenge every fibre of his faith, he asks many questions. This is normal and part of working through tough situations in life.

 

In Job chapter 28, he poses the question - Where can wisdom be found? This is still a relevant question. Look at all the intelligence in our nation. We live in a country with many universities, and over 45% of people in the United Kingdom have some form of post-secondary education, but wisdom often evades us. Ultimate wisdom is found in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Daniel, one of the outstanding Bible characters, said, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him^[1]'.

 

In the same chapter, Job states that even in the early days of human history, humans had developed the ability to discover wealth and natural resources. They harnessed nature and found vast reserves of mineral and physical wealth. They surpassed all of the rest of the animal creation in this ability, but what is his point? 

National Book Lovers Day

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Reading as a child, enjoying the short stories, the long books and the ability to lose ourselves in a story so powerful that at the end we are asking ourselves where to get the next book in the series. At the moment I am waiting expectantly for Richard Osman’s fourth book in his Thursday Murder Club series to arrive on 14 September. In the meantime my appetite has been whetted by receiving a preview of the first three chapters. 

Today is for the reader in all of us - the celebration of National Book Lovers Day!  Crack open your favourite book, visit a bookshop or library to find your next great read, and enjoy the relaxation and joy of being a reader and book lover.

While National Book Lovers Days’s origins may be shrouded in mystery and rumour, the books themselves are not. Starting from carving on stone tablets thousands of years ago, the book was designed to make the writings and drawings portable for those that could not be carried around on stone tablets. Originally these written documents were made on parchment or vellum (calf skin, in case, like me, you did not know) that was then bound tightly with a wooden cover.

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.

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.