Is The Cross of Christ Foolish?

"The message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved, it is God's power." ~Apostle Paul in first letter to the Corinthians.

Faith Not Feelings

We live by faith and not by sight!  2 Cor. 5:7

Unlike any other book, the Bible is God's living, eternal Word, filled with absolute promises that enable us to live an extraordinary life with no fear. However, because we do have weak moments when we do feel afraid, we have only to call upon the Lord, to read His words and see His promises to bask in the peace and security He freely gives.

Regardless of our circumstances, He will never leave or forsake us. Not only that, He awaits for us at the door of our mansion in Heaven with a perfectly fitted robe of righteousness, washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Hallelujah!

At a meeting, the leader, when talking about our feelings said, “Feelings are neither right or wrong, they just are!” At first some of those present stood against his description but after considering what he said, they all agreed it was true. Feelings are part of who we are but when they cause misdirection, confusion, fear, or more negative responses, we know they are to be controlled. And only God can come to the rescue. He can replace negative feelings with His promises of care and eternal salvation.

            John 11:25-26  ²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

            John 10:10-11  I came that [you] may have life, and have it abundantly. ¹¹"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

            1 Peter 1:3-5   ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

            John 10:27-30  ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

            John 6:35-40  ³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. ³⁷ However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. ³⁹ And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

            1 John 4:4   ⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people (false teachers, spirit of the anti-christ), because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

            Romans 8:38  ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

            2 Corinthians 5:17  ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

            Matthew 11:28-30  ²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

            The teenage boy told his father, “Dad, I don’t feel like mowing the lawn today.” To which his father replied, “Then I guess I don’t feel like feeding you dinner.”

Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. Isaiah 8:12

Teddy spent his life debating issues with friends and fellow workers. He always had the latest information and had uncovered the deepest government secrets. He loved stunning and shocking everyone with his disturbing revelations.

            And then one day he realized his so-called “pursuit of truth” was eating away at his own peace. His verve for life was losing its lustre. His valiant efforts of tearing down the walls of deception had become self-destruction, like slowly drinking drams of poison.

            Teddy’s faith in God was taking a back seat to the latest developments of his quest for truth. The horrible accounts of governmental lies and deceptions were eating away at his joy and peace that Christ offers all believers. His focus had shifted from delight in God’s promises to delight in uncovering the latest business scam or pack of lies from Washington D.C.

            As He always does, the Holy Spirit brought Teddy back to his First Love to bathe again in God’s precious truths and eternal promises of redemption. Nowadays, when he does begin overturning those rocks to peer at the ugliness beneath, Teddy is quick to let them lie, reminding himself of God’s magnificent love found in His Living Word, the Bible.

·         Isaiah 8:11-14  The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe.”

·         Isaiah 41:10   Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

·         Prov. 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; ⁶ think about Him in all your ways,and He will guide you on the right paths.

·         Psalm 9:10  All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on you for help. For you have never yet forsaken those who trust in you.

·         Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

·         John 14:1-3  Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

·         Romans 9:33   God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I have put a Rock in the path of the Jews, and many will stumble over him (Jesus). Those who believe in him will never be disappointed.

·         Romans 15:13  I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

·         Rev. 21:5   And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

After a great magic trick people usually say, “How did he do that?” Even more so, by placing our faith in Jesus Christ we can say: “How did He give me such peace?” “How did He change my thinking like that?” And “How did He cleanse me from ALL my sins?”

He did all these things and more because we have trusted in Him.

Quote from “Wisdom Hunter” by Randall Arthur

1. Let God have your life. Let wisdom guide your life. Let people be your life.
2. Evangelism should have as many different approaches as there are people.
3. Christian growth is the lifetime process of personally discovering what is inherently valuable, and what is not.
4. The local church should be more than just a preaching station where people come and sit front-to-back as spectators and listen to a one hour lecture before returning home. It should be a spiritual support group where Christians get into one another’s lives.
5. The essence of the Christian walk is to live contrary to human nature.
6. An easy, routine way of life which many associate with stability and security only brings  stagnation. Entrenched routine only spoils people and makes them simple and weak. 

On the other hand, progressive resistance in life always has the potential to give progressive strength, and to make us progressively wiser. Resistance makes a person think new thoughts they never thought before. It makes a person ask questions they never asked before. It makes a person seek answers they never sought before. It makes a person beg God for help that they never before realized they needed. These quests, quests of the heart and soul, eventually make a person deeper, wider, and taller.