We are not so smart...

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." - 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NIV)

We are not so smart as we sometimes think we are.

Trust in the Lord...

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding" - Isaiah 40:12-14 (NIV)

Too many times, we try to take credit for what is rightfully God's just because we want to. However, we cannot and should not because we are not the ones who created the world. We do not always know what God is thinking or what He is doing and why.

Sometimes, we can only do what is commanded in Proverbs 3:5-6:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

That is the beginning of true wisdom and true understanding.

Have no doubt

Caravaggio: Still Doubting by John Granville Gregory

"The Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" - John 20:29 (NIV)

It was a pretty momentous and for some, preposterous time for the disciple and other followers of Jesus. Their Messiah and leader had just been killed, crucified for crimes cooked up by the religious leaders of the time. So when news came that Jesus was in fact alive, it was hard to believe.

At first, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, and then to most of his disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit. They were excited to see him, for everything they had believed was coming true.

One disciple, Thomas (called Didymus), did not believe the news, however. He had not been with the disciples when Jesus came, so he did not believe the story. He said this in response:

"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." - John 20:25b (NIV)

This is a common argument against putting your faith in God and trusting in Jesus for your salvation. How do we know that all of this did happen? How do we know that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead before eventually returning to heaven (see Acts 1:9)? How do we believe anything that is taught and spoken of in the Bible?

Not to be trite, but sometimes it does take a little bit of faith. God chooses to reveal Himself in this world, like through His creation or miracles like when a baby is born. It is just a question whether we choose to believe where they actually come from and not someplace where we "think" they may have come from.

For Thomas, Jesus appeared to the disciples again a week after Thomas said he did not Jesus had risen from the dead. He invited Thomas to put his fingers in the holes in his hands, and put his hand in his side, to which Thomas replied, "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28)

Jesus then said it is one thing to believe when you have seen Him; it is another to believe when you don't have the evidence standing right in front of you. Sometimes, according to John,

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - John 20:31 (NIV)

We have the power...

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NIV)

Battle of the M&Ms

Now something on the lighter side.

This was an e-mail I received from a friend several years ago.

"An Ultimate M&M Challenge"

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness ofthe candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world. Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointer, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 USA, along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes."

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one...

Children are a blessing...

Source: E! Online

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." - Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

Yesterday morning, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar announced on NBC's "Today" show that they are expecting their 20th child, due sometime in the spring.

With that news, the critics have come out with their knives sharpened, claiming everything from spousal abuse (from Michelle Duggar being pregnant so often) to a strain on resources. Some have even said that nations should put limits on the number of kids a couple can have to save the planet.

This is just silly, and something I addressed in my old blog when another green concern was spoken with the family of Jon and Kate Gosselin:

A few years ago I saw an article about whether the family of Jon and Kate Gosselin, they of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" fame, is actually green, or environmentally friendly. Throughout the article, environmental experts weighed in that even though mom Kate Gosselin has done things like buying organic food whenever possible and recycling, and that the family has installed solar panels on their new home, they may still not be doing enough because the eight children are creating their "carbon footprints."

So say bits of the article:

One of the reasons for the lack of greenness is the emission of carbon dioxide.
 

Sure, we are to take care of the Earth, as God had Adam do in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:15). But we are not to regard the Earth as so high that people are second or lesser options compared to it. The only thing or being that is be rated higher than people, according to God, is God Himself and His Son, Jesus Christ (these are tied in Jesus saying of the two greatest commandments).

And sure, raising children is hard work, as any parent will tell you. But we just have to cling to what Philippians 4:13 says about persevering:

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (NIV)

If the eight children depicted in the show lived in Britain, they would each emit about 750 tons of carbon dioxide over a lifetime, (Rosamund) McDougall (policy director of the U.K.-based Optimum Population Organization) explains. (American carbon-dioxide emissions per capita are about double that of Britain's.)

"What's more, if the eight children each had eight children, not taking into account the fact that eight husbands or wives would be absorbed from other families, there would be 64 grandchildren, each emitting 750 [metric tons] over a lifetime," says McDougall.

Another part of the quoted this:

"No matter what this family does, it could NEVER go green," writes one blogger on Treehugger.com. "The most green families are those with one child or none. So this family has absorbed the CARBON FOOTPRINT OF 8 FAMILIES. This is very greedy!!!"

However, one thing we all sorely need to understand is that children are not to be a burden, according to Scripture. They are not damaging to the environment just because they exist. Children, instead, are a blessing.

Word for Wednesday

Here's a word for this Wednesday:

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." - Psalm 32:1-2 (NIV)

God's imperfect world?

In a 2005 column about the intelligent design vs. evolution, Chicago Tribune columnist Charles Madigan asked, "If God's so intelligent, why is every last thing on Earth so messed up?" Throughout the article, he asks why God allowed such things as humans to have a relatively useless organ such as the appendix, or why women get cramps every month or why we wear out?

"I do believe strongly in God. I give him a great deal of credit for whatever it is that he does. But why would he create so many unusual pieces, given the power to make it all perfect? If we're so hot, why do we all wear out so quickly? Why do we lose our teeth? Why do beans create wind? Why are we sometimes vicious? Why do we drink too much? Curse? Make trouble?"

Why do we wear out? It's not because of God's original design. In the beginning, in the days of Adam and Eve, mankind followed God. It is when we began to disobey him, starting with the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, that the ill effects of sin began to take their effect (Romans 5:12: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (NIV)).

However, while the world is falling apart around us, we can escape the eternal effects. All we have to do is turn to Christ. The Bible tells us this about God's love for us in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (NIV)

Once we turn our lives over to Christ, life still will not be perfect, in that bad things will still happen to us and those around us. But God has His reasons for allowing us to continue to be amongst suffering even though we have Jesus in our lives (Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

An explanation from the Billy Graham Evangelical Association explains it best this way, particularly how we react to bad circumstances with God in our lives:

"The way we react to suffering will determine whether life's most tragic experiences bring bitterness and despair or become sources of blessing. The greatest joy will come when, in the midst of adversity, we look up into His face and say, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:18). It is then that His promise will be most meaningful, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2)."


So take heart! One day, God will take care of everything and make every thing new (Revelation 21).

In the beginning...

Image from Art.com

Welcome to the Disciple Beacon!

What is the Disciple Beacon exactly? It is (and will be) a place for thoughts and teachings from the Bible, thoughts and teachings from learned teachers of the Bible, and more Bible. It also will be a place for news on Christian missions and happenings, and a place for us to learn about missions and those who do them.

This is kind of a continuation of a previous blog that I did for several years before I had to shut it down for a variety of reasons. Some of the posts I did there will be back on this blog, posted again because I believe they are worth saying.

In short, I hope this will be a place for learning, discussion and possibly life change. So I invite you to sit back with a cup of coffee, and to possibly make this place a part of your day.

Thank you and God Bless!