Loving the Word of God is an acquired taste. I say that because when
you seek Jesus through the scriptures, quite frankly, sometimes He
makes statements that sound absolutely contradictory!

Consider the following:

* In order gain mercy, first you must give it. (Matthew 5:7)
* In order to find your life, first you must lose it. (Matthew 10:39)
* In order to lead, first you must serve. (Matthew 20:26)

After trying to make sense of these and several other verses, I was
lead to the story of Abraham in Genesis Ch. 22. Here, the Father of
Faith is instructed to exercise his assurance in God's provision by
taking his beloved son, Isaac, and presenting him as a burnt offering
sacrifice. I'm thinking, "Whoa . . . . this is another
contradiction!" If a man took his child on a mountaintop today and
said he was going to slay him as a sacrifice because God told him to,
he would be arrested and probably put in a mental ward! But as I
continued reading, these clouds of confusion started to evaporate . .
.

Abraham was willing to give up what he could see (a son), in order to
gain that which he could not see (a promise). Here is the reality of
Abraham's example for us today: those that part with any thing for
God, shall have it made up to them with unspeakable advantage. And
because it is so, I need to tell you that the difference between the
life you have right now and the life you want is based on the
decisions you make and where Christ factors into those decisions.

Everything starts & stops with God. That's one of the reasons why
Heis the Alpha & Omega. Think about it: Life starts with
God. Lifeends with God. However, the time between the beginning and
the enddoes not have to include God. And that's why you must know
it is indeed possible to see the unseen, hear the unspoken
and comprehend the misunderstood.

Our LORD often uses statements or speaks to us in ways that initially
might make you scratch your head and wonder "Did I hear Him
right? Isthat what He meant to say?" But rest assured, you're facing a faithtest.
And the best teachers never speak while the test is going on.
They just monitor progress.

"Our spiritual conflicts are among our most wonderful blessings." -
L.B. Cowman


Edifying, Encouraging & Enlightening,
AGospelPreacha

and yet our faith grows so much stronger with every passing moment... Blessed be the Lord.

[After trying to make sense of these and several other verses, I was
lead to the story of Abraham in Genesis Ch. 22. Here, the Father of
Faith is instructed to exercise his assurance in God's provision by
taking his beloved son, Isaac, and presenting him as a burnt offering
sacrifice. I'm thinking, "Whoa . . . . this is another
contradiction!" If a man took his child on a mountaintop today and
said he was going to slay him as a sacrifice because God told him to,
he would be arrested and probably put in a mental ward! But as I
continued reading, these clouds of confusion started to evaporate . .]