NEED MORE INPUT
Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (NKJV 2 Timothy 3:7)
Twenty years ago a little robot called Number 5 announced, “Need more input, Stephanie!” He absorbed all the input she would feed him including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and television shows.
The accumulation of knowledge does not guarantee understanding. Learning itself is a hobby for many. Some attend local colleges most of their life taking course after course in their pursuit of knowledge. They need more input.
Our hard disk drives used to be twenty megabytes and only partially full. Now drives are available with two hundred or more gigabytes and even terabytes of storage. Our computers may ingest byte after byte of data, of raw input, but this does not make them understand—they can only regurgitate what was fed in. And that old computer term, GIGO, is still true; garbage in garbage out.
We can memorize God’s word and be able to regurgitate it without thinking. This makes us very spiritual in the eyes of many, in and out of Christianity. It is as though spirituality is based on how many gigabytes of data one has absorbed.
We come to the knowledge of truth as a direct result of our relationship with God. As we walk with Him listening for His voice, we are led into all truth. We do need to read His word but not for input. His word is one way He speaks to us in a manner we can understand. He reveals truth through His book.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
IF WHAT
For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. (NLT Hebrews 3:14)
A powerful feature of applications like Excel is its ability to logically come to a conclusion. The function used in Excel is IF. If this is true, then do that, otherwise do something else. Used in a Christian environment we might say if a believer, then live in eternity with God, otherwise live in eternity without Him.
All the choices we might make have two possible outcomes. One of them lines up with the Word of God, the other does not. Often we are swayed by emotions to choose without giving any thought to the long term consequences. We are interested in immediate gratification.
When we first believed, we found ourselves fanatical about following His word; about judging our every action against it. As time went on, we may have drifted back into a worldly mode—into a mode pleasing to the flesh.
I believe God wants us just like we were that first day; that day when we were fanatical. He wants us trusting in Him as firmly as when we first believed. If we do, we will share in all that belongs to Christ, otherwise we will not share.
For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. (NLT Hebrews 3:14)
A powerful feature of applications like Excel is its ability to logically come to a conclusion. The function used in Excel is IF. If this is true, then do that, otherwise do something else. Used in a Christian environment we might say if a believer, then live in eternity with God, otherwise live in eternity without Him.
All the choices we might make have two possible outcomes. One of them lines up with the Word of God, the other does not. Often we are swayed by emotions to choose without giving any thought to the long term consequences. We are interested in immediate gratification.
When we first believed, we found ourselves fanatical about following His word; about judging our every action against it. As time went on, we may have drifted back into a worldly mode—into a mode pleasing to the flesh.
I believe God wants us just like we were that first day; that day when we were fanatical. He wants us trusting in Him as firmly as when we first believed. If we do, we will share in all that belongs to Christ, otherwise we will not share.
Monday, March 20, 2006
LOGIC OR FAITH
"Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know anything about him!" (NLT John 9:30)
I was always one who had to have a reason for everything; always looking for scientific proof. No matter what, I always looked for a logical explanation of things. Math was a favorite of mine in school, because computers were not available back then. I guess that need to think logically is one reason I ended up in computer programming early in my career.
On the other side of the coin, I grew up in a family believing in God and having faith in Him to be there at all times. I knew He was there in the good times and in the bad times. Early on I learned about the fiery furnace and had to depend on God no matter what situation I was thrust into.
One side was logical and always looking for answers. The other side knew God has all the answers and I had the faith to look to Him. If we know something because we logically deduced the reason why, that is not faith based, it is logic based. Faith is when we believe something we have no logical reason to believe.
He healed that mans eyes and there was no logical reason he should have been able to do it. Healing is not something we can logically understand. It happens because God can and we have the faith to believe He can. The logic is in the belief in God.
"Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know anything about him!" (NLT John 9:30)
I was always one who had to have a reason for everything; always looking for scientific proof. No matter what, I always looked for a logical explanation of things. Math was a favorite of mine in school, because computers were not available back then. I guess that need to think logically is one reason I ended up in computer programming early in my career.
On the other side of the coin, I grew up in a family believing in God and having faith in Him to be there at all times. I knew He was there in the good times and in the bad times. Early on I learned about the fiery furnace and had to depend on God no matter what situation I was thrust into.
One side was logical and always looking for answers. The other side knew God has all the answers and I had the faith to look to Him. If we know something because we logically deduced the reason why, that is not faith based, it is logic based. Faith is when we believe something we have no logical reason to believe.
He healed that mans eyes and there was no logical reason he should have been able to do it. Healing is not something we can logically understand. It happens because God can and we have the faith to believe He can. The logic is in the belief in God.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
KNOW THE TRUTH
John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NLT)
We judge something as true based on our own experiences, and right or wrong based on the tradition of society as we know it. Imagine living centuries ago when the truth about the earth was that it was flat and if you sailed too far you would fall off.
When I was a small boy, the sound barrier had not been broken and many believed to do so would have catastrophic results. Then someone did it and we have airplanes breaking the sound barrier every day. As that little boy, the only man in the moon was the face you could see on a clear night. Then we actually put men on the moon. New times—new truths.
Jesus was speaking about a much higher level of truth. Truth to the people back then was based on their experiences and the writings passed down from generation to generation. He was speaking about a truth that would set them free; a truth that would free them from the bondages of sin and guarantee them a place in eternity with God the Father.
John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NLT)
We judge something as true based on our own experiences, and right or wrong based on the tradition of society as we know it. Imagine living centuries ago when the truth about the earth was that it was flat and if you sailed too far you would fall off.
When I was a small boy, the sound barrier had not been broken and many believed to do so would have catastrophic results. Then someone did it and we have airplanes breaking the sound barrier every day. As that little boy, the only man in the moon was the face you could see on a clear night. Then we actually put men on the moon. New times—new truths.
Jesus was speaking about a much higher level of truth. Truth to the people back then was based on their experiences and the writings passed down from generation to generation. He was speaking about a truth that would set them free; a truth that would free them from the bondages of sin and guarantee them a place in eternity with God the Father.
THE BINARY SYSTEM
Acts 6:7
God's message was preached in ever-widening circles. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. (NLT)
There is tremendous power in numbers. The binary system has only two numbers, zero and one. Yet all our digital systems, our computers are based in binary. It is not the single digit, but the multiplications effect of the power of two.
If I tell two people a secret, three of us know. If they tell two others each, four more know. Taken eighteen more levels and over a million people know. I guess this is why a secret is no longer a secret when you tell even one person.
This is how word of mouth advertising happens. We have a great experience with a product or a store and we tell others about it. They tell others who tell others and ever-widening circles find out and want to know more.
Based on this simple binary system, the entire world should have heard the gospel message years ago. If only believers would have told two others each. If only others would tell them today. When we take the time to tell the story, to preach in ever-widening circles, the number of believers will greatly increase.
Acts 6:7
God's message was preached in ever-widening circles. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. (NLT)
There is tremendous power in numbers. The binary system has only two numbers, zero and one. Yet all our digital systems, our computers are based in binary. It is not the single digit, but the multiplications effect of the power of two.
If I tell two people a secret, three of us know. If they tell two others each, four more know. Taken eighteen more levels and over a million people know. I guess this is why a secret is no longer a secret when you tell even one person.
This is how word of mouth advertising happens. We have a great experience with a product or a store and we tell others about it. They tell others who tell others and ever-widening circles find out and want to know more.
Based on this simple binary system, the entire world should have heard the gospel message years ago. If only believers would have told two others each. If only others would tell them today. When we take the time to tell the story, to preach in ever-widening circles, the number of believers will greatly increase.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
