The Blue Church

⁸These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. ⁹Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated,

This week I had an occasion to dive deeply into the Word of God. I was blessed to spend days pouring over Second Corinthians and discovering some wonderful truths about God, the Apostle Paul, and human nature. Perhaps what struck me the most, though, was Paul’s love for God and His church. When addressing the church in Corinth he wrote, ”I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”

“The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered” Proverbs 17:27

Boy, is that true!

“ A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again.” Proverbs 19:19

Shall I read my Bible again?

Are there really new things to find within?

Shall I hear something more about man and his sin?

I have read these stories a hundred times.

What else is there that I could I hope to find?

God’s Word fits on me like an old worn glove.

What more does He have to say about His love?

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

Mankind holds to a lot of different views about what causes people to change. Some people believe that if a person commits a behavior and then meets with negative consequences, they will stop performing the behavior. The penal system was built on this idea, with the hope that if a person was imprisoned they would think about the cost of their actions and refrain from committing more crime when they were released.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way  and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging.” – Psalm 46    

This past week I wrestled with what it means to have faith. I have seen examples as of late of people stepping out in faith and doing things that many people would consider foolish or impractical. When questioned as to why they were doing this, they replied that they were trusting God for a desired result and they believed that He would come through.

On my drive to work this morning I was thinking about how blessed I am. In particular, I was thanking God for his grace and mercy towards me, and how He has blessed me with such a wonderful family and life. When I arrived at work, I pulled into my parking spot and started my devotional time which featured the following verse: