Eternally Minded

This summer I learned something precious from my 14 year old son. We were working at a camp and my son, Silas, was one of the maintenance boys. The staff boys seemed to be divided into two distinct groups: the popular guys and Silas and another boy. This boy was a little different, mainly naive and a little uncomfortable in his own skin. Probably what people think of when they they think of typical homeschoolers. I noticed that at meals the two groups didn't sit together. They didn't clean together. I asked Silas is everyone was getting along okay and he said everything was fine. In my heart, wicked and vile thing it is, I was thinking that my son should be hanging with the popular boys and not the odd boy. But Silas seemed oblivious to the emotional distance from the other boys. He seemed content. He was enjoying his friendship with this boy. And here is the lesson I learned...again. God wasn't impressed with the other boys and their popularity. He wasn't impressed...

Ask that question to everyone in North America and you will find that most of the population are Christians. According to Statistics Canada over two-thirds claim to be affiliated with a Christian religion. Great news, right? After studying the book of 1 John , I've come to a different conclusion. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." (2 Corinthians 13:5) "So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire .   Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (Mathew 7:17-19) Based on the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, does the Holy Spirit live within you? "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) Jesus did the will of His Father, are ...

I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these things are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, emnity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit  is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.   ...

"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." (Psalm 72:8) Canada was originally named the Dominion of Canada based on this verse, because the land stretched from sea to sea. It was founded as a Christian country - a country that feared God and sought to make His name great among the nation. In my civics' class, we had a short writing assignment: to write three reasons we are proud to be Canadians. Quite honestly, I found it hard. Not the writing aspect of the task, but what I am proud of. I'm proud that this country was founded as a Christian country, though now Christians are persecuted for preaching the gospel on the streets. I'm thankful that - so far - Canada is at peace and has not had war, although we have lost the battle of the flesh and of the devil. I am grateful for the wealth and freedoms we have, but now we glory in our riches and not in our Savior. Canada has fallen from what it once claimed to be. We have...