As a true follower of Christ, we must be truly different from others in our way of life in this world. We should consciously recognize the difference between right and wrong, and God has brought us into this world for a reason, so we must follow that calling. Or are we still looking at what the world admires, and do we still perform what the masses expect of us?
Thilo Hanstein (Germany)
God’s Grief
We often read in the Bible that God is very angry at man’s behavior and that He will soon pour out His anger. But is God’s wrath all there is to it? What do the prophets and Jesus Christ say about God’s feelings? You may be surprised to hear about God’s grief for man’s apostasy.
How Much Fear and Worry Can We Endure?
Christ says in Mark 13:9 and 12: “but watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them… Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.“
Are there really big problems? Do we have fears to overcome? What can you do about it? Christ actually gives us the all-important answer.
If Something Bad Happens, Something Good May Come of It!
by Thilo Hanstein (Germany)
My wife Anita and I had the small desire to buy a used car, and we wanted a German car, a Mercedes with lots of extras. The search went on for a while, and we also traveled a lot of miles to look for vehicles. Finally, I saw a vehicle on the Internet for sale which was very close to us. Everything looked very good. No long journey and the car seemed perfect to me.
I personally went to the car dealer who was selling the car and made an appointment for a test drive, which he confirmed with me. I also made an appointment with a friend who owns a car workshop, to be able to assess the vehicle.
One day before the appointment, the dealer simply sold the vehicle without taking into account that he had an appointment with us for the test drive. I was a bit disappointed and angry because the car appeared perfect to me and I thought that I had reached an end to the search. I talked to him about it on the telephone and wanted to know why he did not honor my appointment. It did not really interest him. A little later, of course, I had to cancel the appointment with the workshop and explained to him briefly over text what had happened.
He wrote me an answer stating, among other things, the following sentence: “If something bad happens, something good may come of it!”
When I read this, I realized shortly afterwards that all our thinking is only short-sighted. God tells us: “Your thoughts are not my thoughts!” When we live in God’s Truth and when we place our whole life in God’s hands, He will protect us from harm; He will give us goods; and He will help us in all that we need and also fulfill our wishes.
And so, the search continued. We quickly found another car that had all the extras that Anita and I wanted—more than the previous car—and it was even much better maintained.
If something bad happens, something good may come of it!
Are We Ready?
Did you know that Christ will come back soon? Do you know what to do before Christ comes back? Do you believe that you are ready for the return of Christ? Listen to what Christ tells us.
Don’t Look Back
The Bible shows us that man has a great potential from God. Do you know this potential and what to do with it? Would you like to start a new life?