A Daily Chance to Believe

An offering of truth to those who are searching.

November 24, 2008

When Faith is Very Hard

Greetings Dear Readers,

Sometimes faith is VERY hard. When Avalon and I married she said that the one thing she never wished to do was weaken or damage my faith. As she goes through the process of divorcing me for her own purposes, for the first time I find myself questioning my beliefs. I am sure that God loves me and that he is good and has the best intentions for me.

I acknowledge that I have failed him and my Avalon in many ways. I know it is not my heart that is hard. That leaves me with a simple truth. God is allowing the love of my life, the one in whom I delight even when she is a pain in the ass to leave me and trample on my heart in so many ways that she cannot even see. Everything in my life is effected and this weekend I realized that one of those things was my faith.

The question, a simple one, went like this. "If God loves me then why is he letting this happen to me." Although the question is an honest one, one can be honestly wrong, stupid, and faithless. Here is the response that came to mind in the form of analyzing the sentence.

· IF God loves me - there is no IF. He does, in more ways than I can ever imagine.
· Why - Job asked this question as well after losing much more than I ever could - God's response was to question that Job would question him. God wanted Job to acknowledge that God is enough.
· Letting - God is allowing it. God is Good. God does love me, so I must accept with joy what he allows in my life.
· TO ME - How arrogant and self centered. Avalon is the one acting without faith and in defiance to God's stated best for her. I should be focused on her sin and praying that she see Christ clearly.

So, in my lapse of faith I see a chance to have greater faith. Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief. We can trust God with everything, even the unjust abandonment of a wife we love with all our hearts.

What do you think?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

October 01, 2008

So what will you do?

Some time ago my son Bezel said something so profound. He asked me if people really ever dealt with Jesus when they were avoiding God. His brother had oh so recently answered this in one of our conversations. You see, Maxim had pointed out that so many people refuse to deal with the God/man Jesus Christ. They will talk about faith, grace, and being spiritual but not about the one who provides all of that.

Jesus is the stumbling stone, scandelon, that we avoid. If we do not deal with WHO Jesus is, we cannot hope to understand what he hopes for us. I wonder if you could really get to the place where you will honestly consider who he is rather than what his followers do or do not do? Look at Christ alone and ask what he offers you. I dare you to do it.

July 05, 2005

Excuses

When I was a boy I could figure out a million reasons not to do things I disliked. I always knew that I would have to do the thing I was avoiding eventually but I still avoided it. It amazes me how many people come up with amazing reasons not to deal with Jesus. He calls you every day. He asks for you to simple put your faith in what he has already done for you.

What is your excuse today? Why will you not honestly consider what Jesus offers you? Whatever objection comes to mind, it is an excuse. At the core of out being we all know that there is a God and that he interacts with us. The universe constantly reminds us that we are not in control but we choose to ignore the one who is.

Here are some excuses that I often hear.

Christians are such hypocrites - It is true that Christians have and will fail in their walk of faith. Do you want to be blamed for your children's mistakes. Should I hate you if your child lies, cheats, or steals? It is an excuse to reject you if I judge you by someone else's actions.

All I need is to be good or sincere - This is a great lie. Jesus is the only path to God. I know that sounds arrogant and exclusive but I did not make it up. The truth is exclusive by its very nature because it excludes all lies. You can be sincere and be sincerely wrong.

What about all the people who never hear about Jesus - My first response to this excuse is that it is illogical. If you are bleeding to death and I offer a compression bandage, are you going to try and get me to deal with all the other wounded first. Perhaps you are the one who is supposed to tell some of those who have yet to hear. My second answer, more substantive is that God obligates himself to reveal himself to those who seek him with all their heart.

There are many more excuses for not coming to Christ but they are all just putting off the inevitable. You will sooner of later have to deal with Jesus. Doing in now by accepting by faith his death for your salvation is the way that holds promise and hope. Dealing with him after you have spent your life rejecting him is perilous. If you need help in how to deal with Jesus, read some of the previous posts or contact me.

Wishing you joy in the Journey,

Aramis Thorn

July 01, 2005

What is your deepest Wish?

Take a moment for me to dream. What is the thing you most want in the universe? If you had a Djinn who would grant you deepest wish, what would you ask for? Does you mind go to wealth, power, or fame?

What if you were the Djinn? What would it feel like to be able to grant wishes. You would see so many people foolishly squander opportunity on things that did not last or could not truly satisfy. In a way you have the power of a Djinn when it comes to God.

You see, God has a wish that he has expressed to all of mankind. His wish is that all humans come to know him and love him to the same extent that he loves them. He begins this process by sacrificing his Son, Jesus to pay for the things you have done to put space between you and God. He then asks that you accept that sacrifice as a gift to begin the relationship. God's wish is to bestow all that he has on you and give you a full rich life and eternity.

So, what did you wish for? Are you willing to grant God's wish? All you have to do is believe to fulfill a wish from the God of the universe. That is truth power.

June 28, 2005

My Grandfather's Heart

My Grandfather was a simple preacher from the Carolina hills. He had little formal education and much wisdom. He loved to use good music to show the truths of the world. He was a police officer for the Atlanta Police department and held the practice of bringing those he arrested home for a hot meal before he took them to jail. He would share his fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea with them. Then we would offer them the opportunity to share Jesus Christ as well. This hymn was one of his favorite hymns and he often quoted it to those on their way to prison.


Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy - by Joseph Hart


Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r;

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye needy, come and welcome;
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh,

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him:

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all:

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

See Him Prostate in the garden
On the ground your Maker lies
On the bloody tree, behold him
Sinner, will this not suffice?"

Lo! th'incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude;

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in his arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh there are ten thousand charms

June 27, 2005

A Simple Plan

Greetings,

this is your opportunity to get an honest answer to the question of what Jesus Christ is all about. I am not promoting a religion or a church. I am asking you to consider honestly who Jesus Christ is and what it means to your life. I will lay out some simple truths and a few guidelines for discussion. You may email me with questions at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Guidelines:

01)No question is out of bounds provided it is asked with honesty and openness.
02)None of my answers will be trite or simplistic; I promise to give the reasoning behind my answers.
03)I will not engage in arguments, but will present the truth about Jesus Christ and what it means to have a relationship with him.
04) I will treat the Bible as authoritative and view it as my primary source for answers to questions.

Some Simple Truths

* God is Holy and Righteous (He is pure and he only does what is right).
* Every living person has chosen at some point to reject doing what is right even if it is just littering or telling a "white" lie.
* That single act is enough to make us unholy in God's site and separate us from him.
* Even in our unholy state, God loves us and longs to have a rich and fulfilling relationship with us.
* The only way to reach this relationship was for someone who never acted against God's wishes to take the penalty for our unholiness.
* Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
* Jesus voluntarily chose to pay the penalty for our unholiness by being crucified.
* After Jesus died he rose from the dead as evidence that God accepted his payment for our unholiness.
* All that God requires of us is that we accept, by having faith, believing that we cannot pay our own penalty and that Jesus has paid the penalty for us.

The Bible says it this way: "By Grace you have been saved through faith; not by your self but by a gift from God. It is not by your good deeds, because then you could boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

All you need to do to begin an eternal relationship with the loving God of the Universe is believe that he has paid the price for your unholiness by the death of his own Son, Jesus. There is nothing that you can do to earn favor with God, but he wants to give you his favor because of what Jesus has already done. Think of it as a gift, already paid for and wrapped up that you need only accept and open.

You can talk to God like you would any other person and tell him that you accept what Jesus has already done for you and that you want to begin a relationship with him. If you do that, I would really like to know about it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn