God designed the spirit of humanity to have free will, giving us the ability to choose our own aspirations in life. Inherently, this freedom incurs the burden of making mistakes along the way and learning from them. God also works in our lives, directing our steps when we are open to following His paths.
Eric Rank
Is God Fair?
Since God does not let anything happen against His will, how can we make sense of bad things happening to good people, and good things happening to bad people? Is God fair? How are we to understand the way that God works in our lives? We will explore the justice of God from the words of the Bible to answer these important questions, guiding the path of our Christian journey.
Antisemitism on the Left and the Right
Antisemitic Socialist Zohran Mamdani the next mayor of New York. Message for the Democratic Party: “Antisemites can lead; they are no longer in the margins” (The Jerusalem Post). Antisemitic Nick Fuentes’ popularity is sky-rocketing. Message for the Republican Party: “A seemingly unstoppable ratchet of radicalization on the right” (The New York Times). What does the Bible say about antisemitism and its frightening rise?
Download AudioWill Humans Become Obsolete?
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the world, raising real concerns about whether humans will become obsolete as technology advances and replaces many aspects of our lives. However, the true threat to humanity is not AI itself, but the destructive value system that people follow, which leads to suffering and decline until God intervenes to restore righteousness and prosperity. Ultimately, God’s plan ensures that humanity will not become obsolete in the short term. In the long term, all who accept the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ will be transformed into a glorious spiritual existence, making our carnal bodies obsolete and fulfilling our purpose as children of God.
Something Greater
When we compare the greatest of mankind’s plans with the plan of God, there is no comparison. God’s vision for the future is so vast and awesome that people’s imagination cannot even begin to comprehend it. Only with the mind of God, made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is it possible to know what God has in store. Having such a great promise, we can look beyond our present circumstances, focusing ahead on the greatness of God’s coming kingdom. With this knowledge about what God’s plan is, how can we prepare ourselves to actively participate in it today?
Paradox of Choice
An abundance of options prevails in our lives. To my wife and me, simply choosing something to watch from a streaming video service on Saturday night after the Sabbath has become a chore! I remember when watching something on TV was limited to about half a dozen channels broadcast over the air, and even further limited by the scheduled programming of those stations. Certainly, we had less to choose from, but it made the process of deciding a whole lot simpler.
“The Paradox of Choice” is the title of a book, published by author Barry Schwartz in 2004. In this book, Schwartz explains how having a multitude of choices in the modern world counterintuitively causes people to be less happy with their decisions. Having too many options turns out to make people less likely to feel that they have made the best decision. Yet still, people gravitate towards shaping their circumstances, so they have the greatest possible set of options to choose from. Ironically, this only works against their best interests. Maybe you can relate.
Adam and Eve began by making a choice that set the course for humankind in the way that many of their descendants would make wrong decisions. They chose the way of worldly wisdom, which is not satisfied with the simplicity of godly wisdom. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened to a multitude of options. The vast majority of those options lead humankind towards the satisfaction of carnal desires, but further and further away from the true joy that comes from turning to God instead.
The book referenced above was written in the past 20 years, being acclaimed for its novel findings about the abundance of choice leading to a life of dissatisfaction. But the Bible revealed this problem thousands of years ago. God warned Adam and Eve that following the path of worldly wisdom, symbolized by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would result in death (compare Genesis 2:17) and suffering (compare Genesis 3:16-19). The way of life Adam and Eve chose brought about the current state of the world. And so, today we have choices that interminably grow in number. But they will never lead us to find true fulfillment.
Fortunately, there is a better way. And it does not (necessarily) require canceling subscriptions or living off the grid. God’s Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to choose differently. The options in life that the world offers will only provide worldly experiences. But God, through His Holy Spirit, helps us to understand that the path to a life of truly deep satisfaction is to simply obey God and love the way of life He provides. The abundance of choices available in our lives will continue to be there, but in a life dedicated to God they do not matter. They cannot provide the kind of satisfaction that a life guided by godly wisdom does.
Solomon had tremendous abundance in his life. He had so much wealth that he could have whatever he wanted that money could buy. Yet, it did not give him the satisfaction he sought. It was all a vain pursuit (compare Ecclesiastes 2:9-11). He experienced the paradox of choice as we do today. In his wisdom, he understood the solution to the paradox. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The simple secret to living a satisfied life is to obey God.
We understand that our joy comes from refusing to participate in the paradox of choice. Simplifying our lives by reducing our options might make it easier to choose a movie to watch, but it may not guide us to abound in the Spirit. The true happiness that God provides comes from putting the power of the Holy Spirit to work, giving us godly discernment to judge righteously. Satisfaction comes from a life well-lived, choosing the path that leads to life resulting from godly obedience and wisdom.
How Do You Worship?
Worship is such a basic function of Christianity that we rarely consider what it means and how to do it. What are the examples of worship in the Bible that we can learn from? As converted Christians, how does God want us to worship Him?
God of Peace — Peace of God
The world we live in constantly threatens to steal away our peace of mind and peace between one another. God offers us a sure path to experience lasting peace if we have the courage and faith to follow Him. The God of peace provides us with the opportunity to obtain the peace of God.
Our Relationships
The relationships that we build and maintain throughout our lives are a critical aspect of our Christian journey. In fact, having love for one another is a characteristic that identifies us as Christians. What does God expect of us? How can we develop the kinds of relationships that will enrich our lives?
The Importance of Doing Hard Things
The best way to grow spiritually is to accept challenges in our lives that God prepares for us, and work through them. By shifting our perspective so that we face trials with joy, rather than resistance, we open ourselves to developing the character that God expects of us.