Thinking Aloud

Isaiah 45:1-3 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: “I will go before you and level the mountains; I wi ll break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. will give you the treasures of darkness, and the hidden riches of secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. Micah 2:13 One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate   and go out by it. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD as their leader. Phillip. 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. When God breaks the barriers, He will break them for good. When God opens a door it will always remain open. When God closes a d...

Water   covers 71% of the Earth's surface, mostly in seas and oceans It is vital for all known forms of  life , even though it provides no calories or  organic   nutrients . Eighty percent of the human body consists of water. Water is commonly included in the ritual and ceremony of most religions—typically having a purifying function.   Religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Shintoism and Judaism, just to name a few, include ritual cleansing as part of their religious ceremonies. Washing with water held a considerable place in the Jewish temple-ceremony. Greek philosophers believed water to be the original substance and that all things were made from it. The Koran states, “From water we have made all things.” Modern science believes life originated in water. For Christians, baptism by water—itself a symbol of the grace of God—signifies spiritual rebirth. The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word meaning...

The Bible is a book of prayers. The character of God is revealed through the prayers of Old Testament saints. They found God to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth. The central message of the Bible is God’s mercy. Whoever comes to Him in penitence and sincerity will in no case be cast out, like Jesus assured us.   God never acts for good or ill towards any of his creatures without a full understanding of circumstances. What he saw in Sodom was pure hell. A righteous God who hates sin – the consuming fire – He had to deal with those decadent cities.   Abraham approached God in perfect understanding that His throne was one of grace [Heb 4:16]; it is a privilege to come before him as we are dust and ashes in his sight [18:12] There’s no true prayer without deep humility and lowliness of spirit. As he faced a God whose anger against Sodom and Gomorrah burnt, Abraham had one resort, one privilege – he could pray for the ...

Isaiah 25:9   And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Advent   is a season observed in many Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of   Christmas, a day arbitrarily chosen by the early church to commemorate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the most momentous occurrence in the history of mankind, not His ‘birthday’ - as it is often made out to be. The term advent is a Latin word meaning coming or arrival. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming.   T he period of advent traditionally begins four Sundays before Christmas and is observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting. Sin had separated man from God, but God had been always trying to...

Wikipedia describes a miracle as an event not ascribable to human power or the  laws of nature  and consequently attributed to a supernatural, especially  divine , agency. We believe God regularly works through created nature yet is free to work without, above, or against it as well. A total of about 35 of miraculous events are described by the four gospels as being brought about by our Lord during His ministry on earth. It is safe to assume He did many more. See John 21:25. Our purpose here is to analyze what were His motives in performing the miracles, what He achieved through them and why should we study them.                                                         ...

Jesus is God. The  Gospel of John  has especially aimed at emphasizing Jesus' divinity, presenting Jesus as the  Logos , pre-existent and divine, from its first words – “In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God and the Word was God”. The Gospel of John ends with Thomas's declaration that he believed Jesus was God, "My Lord and my God”. (See John 1:1 and John 20:28). Gospel of Mathew quotes Jesus as saying, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father (11:27). St. Paul ’s epistles support this view. They include: "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:16)  and "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form", (Colossians 2:9) . Paul claims   in Galatians 1:1   to have been "sent   not   from men  nor  by man...