Questioning Faith

Death is not a topic that most people like to talk about. It’s a little odd that this is the case since as George Bernard Shaw is quoted as stating, “The statistics on death are impressive.” We all die, yet despite this shared state, it’s a subject we like to avoid.

There are probably many reasons for this discomfort. We don’t like to think of our limits; we’d rather focus on our accomplishments. For many in may be an uncertainty of what happens after we die, or it may remind us of all that we still want to do. Regardless of the cause, death is a subject, as well as an entity, that most people choose to ignore.

The problem with this is that if we all avoid talking about death, there is little hope that we will have ever confidence in what the afterlife holds. After all, there can’t be an afterlife without the ending of life as we know it. And the concern is not for our lives alone. As Christians, we can know with certainty that we’ll spend forever in heaven, but can we have the same certainty about our family and friends? Do our believing friends have the same confidence about us?

It’s often been asked, “if you were put on trial for being a conviction would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Let us make sure that the answer to that question is a resounding yes. So that, when it is our time to add to the impressive statistic, no one questions where our faith stands.

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Eye of the Storm

As we all learned from elementary school science class, or from the movie Twister, the safest place to be during a tornado is in the center. This is where there is an unexpected calm, where, as the winds circumvent it, peace remains.

Although I’m sure the point has been made elsewhere, I was recently reminded that when the storms effect our lives, this too is where we want to be, for as Christians, our desire is that Jesus is the center of our lives. At the center He not only calms the waves and the seas (Matthew 8:26-28), but He is the source of unexpected peace. His eyes are on the sparrow (Matthew 10:29), and its in the eye of His grace that solace reigns.

Let us not forget this when life throws challenges at us and when things don’t go as we planned. Run to the center. Run to the One who commands peace (Luke 24:6). Run to where the storm swirls around you but can cause no lasting harm.

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