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An Atheist "If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of faith in Jesus Christ in this life influences destiny in another, then that faith would mean everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as folly, earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Faith would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I would labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of eternity only. I would esteem every soul gained for Heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences would never stay my hand nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its grief's would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look on eternity alone and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world, and I would preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be 'What would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world but lose his own soul?' " "What?", I thought when I first read that ...message - so I read it again ... and then again ... and even again and still do from time to time because of its impact on me ... every single time I read it! Now you, please read it again - very slowly - and let those words sink in.... What would it (in fact) profit a man if he should gain the whole world but lose his own soul? (Matthew 16:26) But, many will ... gain that whole world but lose their very souls! "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is." Another message that had great affect on me. But for many, it will not have any affect and - sadly for them - even that statement will remain untrue because they claim absolutely NO belief in God. They are self-proclaimed atheists. ...God just does not exist for them or according to them. Atheism > noun: the belief that God does not exist. I personally do not understand this. ...Atheism. I really cannot even fathom it. Look at that definition again. To me, the most ironic thing about that definition is that it is labeled as a "belief". A belief that God does not exit. A belief! belief > noun: 1. a feeling that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. 2. a firmly held opinion. 3. (belief in) trust or confidence in. 4. religious faith. -PHRASES beyond belief astonishing; incredible. Ironic, isn't it? A belief is "a feeling that something exists or is true, especially one without proof". The thing is, we have proof! ...and it ain't (Southern for "is not") in the pudding' either (...where did that saying come from anyway?) ..... Acrostic: P - POWER! ...by His the world was created! Genesis 1:1, 26-27 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." ... "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
R - RISEN SON! ...by His we are saved! John 3:16-17 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him." 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 - "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
O - OURS! ...by His grace! Ephesians 2:4-9 - "But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, if is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."
O - OVER AND ABOVE! ...by His love! 1 John 2:1-2 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." 1 John 3:16a - "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us. ...." Ephesians 3:19-21 - "And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding, abundantly, beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
- FAITH! ...by ours we accept Him! Romans 1:16-17 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.' " Romans 10:17 - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." PROOF ... > noun 1. evidence establishing a fact or the truth of a statement. 2. the proving of the truth of a statement. ..... PHRASES the proof of the pudding is in the eating proverb -- the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results. ...oh, well, there it is ... that phrase - proof of the pudding is in the eating ... meaning, as stated, "the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results." And, not only is the Written Word - the Holy Bible - the Scriptures - full of those very experiences AND results but our very lives are the very proof of it. ....oh, well, there ya go! We, as Believers - as Christians - are, in fact, also living proof of a God that exists. I seem though to recall another very disturbing message about that very thing. I heard someone once say, "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." ....WOW! "What would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world but lose his own soul?" May we all be the living proof that anyone ever needs to know the existing Almighty..? GOD! Amen and Amen! Kelli |
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