... of faithful people and God; there was nothing false or phony about Jesus Christ, of that we may be sure! What a contrast we discover between Christ and ourselves from this perspective. A few years ago, Ellen Goodman wrote a column for the new year, "Forswearing the credit card habit." For the past several years, she writes, she has been observing a kind of financial Lent: "I give up plastic (credit cards)." But she has been disappointed in herself and has determined that it has been a "phony" exercise: "To ...
... Extraordinary man… surely you must be aware of the punishment you force me to sentence you to. Are you really so brave that you can die for your God? Is not life dear to you? “Yes,” answered Sahak, “it is.” Roman Governor: “But if you do not forswear this God of yours, if you do not renounce your God, nothing can save you. You will lose your life. “Yes,” answered Sahak, “But I cannot lose my God!” Do you know what Sahak was saying? He was saying “I have fire power of Pentecost! Do you ...
... Can you imagine who David might have been had he not had to have Bathsheba? Might he have slowly become a man of great cool and collectedness? Might he not have become a better king, one acquainted with lust and desire and even violence but who knew how to forswear it? God was offering David another chance even as he made the choice to take Uriah out. David missed it. The good news is that he didn't miss all his chances. He managed to serve God and find his way to casual consistent beauty. He was forgiven a ...
... depends on how one understands God’s speeches and Job’s reaction: 1. I despise myself and repent (sitting) on dust and ashes—an act of humbleness (so NIV); 2. I take back/retract myself (my words) and repent on dust and ashes; 3. I now reject and forswear dust and ashes—Job now rejects his symbols of mourning; 4. I retract my words and have changed my mind about dust and ashes—Job has changed his mind now about the human condition; 5. I retract my words and am comforted about dust and ashes—Job ...