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Showing posts from September, 2024

Fear not.

There's a lot going on in the world and a lot available to provoke fear for the future, but I have a question for anyone who might feel themselves tempted to fear - If you truly know God, does He ever change? “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed." Malachi 3:6 (NLT) We stand reinforced in our understanding and belief that He does not change, so... "The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.  When they call on me, I will answer;  I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life  and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 (NLT) I know that I said that I had "a" question, but I actually have another - do you really, truly love Him? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly F

Pure Religion

I've struggled with the term "religion" for a long time because it has come to carry a connotation for me of something orchestrated, institutional - a perfunctory exercise. My preference instead has been to highlight my belief that what our God desires from us is instead "relationship". Then I ran across this and I had to pause... "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27 (NLT) " Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world ." James 1:27 (KJ) It doesn't matter the translation, it appears the same. And in it I denote a familiar spirit. I recognize it from scripture after scripture dealing with the care of, and justice for, the widows and the fatherless... "Sing to God, sing praises to His name;