Thoughts and Considerations

                      DIVINE RETRIBUTION – SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?                                               (For  the local Newspaper)       Before we tackle the topic of Divine Retribution we must establish a few facts first. Divine Retribution is obviously referring to God’s Judgment, but it’s important to understand a little about God. Our Creator's desire for us is only good; The Lord… is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’” “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”    When contemplating retribution of any kind, it is wise to consider the reality of consequences beginning with the very basic principles of life. We reasonably anticipate possible consequences to everything we do or fail to do, fr

                               PART 2 - WHAT ABOUT DIVINE INTERVENTION?                                        (Written for the Local Newspaper)             In my last article I wrote about ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ One may then ask, “Doesn’t God help us in our time of need?” Indeed He does, and far more often than we realize. Typically, after a near miss, a miraculous escape, an unexpected provision, we call it luck, fluke, coincidence, karma, but in the sight of the Almighty there is no such thing. He merely chooses to remain the anonymous, unrecognized, or unacknowledged Intervenor. Years ago, a young street girl told me that she never thanks people when they help her. Instead she thanks God because she knows that the help really comes from Him. I found her conviction extraordinary.   The Bible says that God is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe . Do we get rescued from everything? Not necessarily? Elisha, perhaps the second most powerful pr

                WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?                                      (For the Local Newspaper)   This question is constantly asked, and possibly by you yourself. There are basically three types of bad events that occur:   those which we call Natural Disasters. They can range from sicknesses and diseases to tornadoes and earthquakes. Next there are accidents and unfortunate situations. Now some accidents and unfortunate events are self-inflicted. And finally there are the harms inflicted by people. These can range anywhere from neglect, abuse, and basic crime, to wars. Let’s briefly consider these, though far more can be said about any one of them.   NATURAL DISASTERS – According to the Bible, and experientially  verifiable, we are living in a world that is not always safe. Disasters as well as benefits are to be expected. Jesus described it like this, “…and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house…” In other words