Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China. Among his many achievements was building large sections of the Great Wall of China. However, the emperor lived in fear. To ensure his power and authority, he banned and burned many books and buried scholars alive. But his greatest fear was death.
Do you ever feel like retreating? Escaping from it all? Holing up in a safe place? Christians in every generation have the same temptation—the allure to retreat from the world. From business to education to recreation, there is a desire to only be involved with other believers. One problem … that was not the intention of Jesus.
As I write this, God has placed me in a challenging and stretching time. I have done a good bit of reflecting on “his precious and very great promises.” In fact, I have written several of God’s promises on 3 x 5 cards to review them often. There is no middle ground to a promise.
One by one, they died. James, the brother of John, was beheaded. Thomas was killed in India. Simon was crucified in Egypt. Mark, the first bishop of Alexandria, was burned and buried in Egypt as well. Bartholomew was beaten, crucified, and beheaded. Andrew, Peter’s brother, was crucified in Rome. Matthew was killed with a spear. Phillip was stoned and then hanged on a cross. James, the brother of Jesus, survived being thrown from the temple. Then he was beaten to death.
Let’s face it…you shouldn’t say everything that comes to your mind. We should always pursue peace. For instance, “That is the ugliest baby I have ever seen!” is a thought that needs to be kept caged even if you have never been more convinced of anything in your life! “Absolutely!” is always the answer to the question, “Honey, does this dress make me look thinner?” Don’t hesitate. One aspect of a successful marriage is the understanding that every sentence ending with a question mark is not always a question!