Interested in God?

Does the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ—ever seem unreal? Does Jesus’ death on the cross seem unrelated to daily life? After all, it happened almost 2,000 years ago.

If those questions describe your mental state, try asking God for a spiritual mind. Paul wrote to the Romans, For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom. 8;5,6 NKJV)

A carnal mind does not probe deeply and it refuses to contemplate what it does not understand. It is not interested in God. A spiritual mind, however, asks questions and considers the many paradoxes of life. A spiritual mind is interested in God.

Unless we have a spiritual mind, we will not come to Jesus Christ and we will not accept His sacrifice for Sin. But we cannot create our own spiritual mind. We can only receive it by turning to God. Only He gives spiritual minds that make it possible to accept Jesus’ sacrifice.

Originally published November 8, 1991.

Picture: Peonies viewed from the street, West Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

The Value of Waiting

Most people hate to wait. Today’s lifestyle with its almost instant products and services—but its never-ending lines—seem to make us even more impatient.

Nevertheless, waiting can be exciting, a time of anticipation and discovery. Preparations for a major event are usually as significant as the event itself. And who hasn’t hit upon the solution to a problem or gained other valuable insight while patiently or impatiently waiting?

For many Christians, the season of Lent is an important time of waiting, a time to reflect upon the sacrifice of God and His Son Jesus, a time to anticipate the risen Christ of Easter, a time to encounter Truth while waiting for insight from Him.

The Psalmist said, Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. (Ps. 33:20,21 NKJV)

Originally published March 2, 1990.