Tragedy

By Now you have heard or read thousands of word and seen
countless replays and commentaries on the bombings in Boston this week. Yet with all of those words,
the one word we have read and heard most often is the word "Tragedy".
I'm sure that each of us as Americans has the greatest sympathy and pain in our
hearts for those involved in this tragic event, I know our house has sorrowed
for them and prayed for them.

The word "tragedy" simply means "a disastrous event"; how disastrous depends upon which side of
the tragedy you are on!

These bombings were a tragedy in several
ways. First, to those who were killed and injured. Almost nothing can affect
our lives more than the death of one we love or our own injury or the injury of
one we love. It has the ability to take away dreams for the future if we allow
it. It sometimes hardens our hearts and fills them with a sense of hate or
despair. For those of us who did not have someone we knew personally killed or
injured in the bombings it can instill anger and outrage against the ones who
did these terrible things.

Secondly, it is a tragedy that someone
thought so little of the lives of innocent people to plan and carry out such a
horrific attack. It is the sign of a mind that is sick and twisted with sin.
Satan has been extremely successful it causing hate in the heart of the ones
who planted those bombs and I'm afraid he is successful in getting hate to rise
in the hearts of many of God's people. I readily admit that I have no sympathy
for the ones who brought about this terrible attack. I desire justice to be
rendered upon them to the full extent of our laws!

That of course is the human side of me
speaking. I demand justice for others, those who steal, rob, car jack, sell
drugs, murder, injure others or any number of other things which break our laws
or the laws of God. At the same time I tend to avoid thinking of all of the
times that I break God's Law. I depend upon His Grace rather than justice.

The other side of me, the side that tries
to be more like God, remembers a murderer by the name of Paul that God chose to
use. This man turned his life around and became one of the greatest teachers
and evangelist in Christian history. He wrote of God's purpose and his life in 1 Timothy 1:15 where he said: "This
is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners and I am the worst of them all".

At times I really don't know which side of
me is the strongest. Maybe it's like the old parable that says, "the side
that wins is the side you feed". How about you, which side are  you feeding?

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart

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Doubt

Do you ever have doubts about your life or perhaps
about your faith? I think we all do at one point or another in our lives. Not
that we doubt God or his ability, but many times we doubt ourselves and whether
or not we are really pleasing to God.

In David Heller's book, Dear God: Children's Letters
to God. He has recorded many insights from children, such as:

"Dear God, What do you do with families that
don't have much faith? There's a family on the next block like that. I don't
want to get them in trouble, so I can't say who. See you in church. Alexis (age
10)



Dear God, I have doubts about
you sometimes. Sometimes I really believe. Like when I was four and I hurt my
arm and you healed it up fast. But my question is, if
you could do this why don't you stop all the bad in the world? Like war. Like
diseases. Like famine; Like drugs; and there are
problems in other people's neighborhoods, too. I'll try to believe more. Ian
(age 10)"

Doesn't that sound like us? Sometimes we really
believe, but we have our doubts sometimes, don't we?

One of the problems is that we look at those around us
and think, "I wish I could be like them". "I wish I could have
their faith". But what we don't realize if that they are thinking the same
thing about us. We don't have the ability to see into their hearts and minds
and know how often others (just like us) doubt themselves.

In Mark 9:20-24
we see a perfect example of doubt and faith concerning a father and son
possessed by and evil spirit, in need and their relationship to Jesus. We read,
"So they brought the boy (to Jesus). But when the evil spirit saw
Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground,
writhing and foaming at the mouth. "How long has this been
happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, "Since he was a
little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to
kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." "What do you
mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person
believes."  The father instantly
cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"
(NLT)

Doesn't that sound exactly like us at times? I know it
sounds like me! I do believe, but at times it doesn't seem like enough. I just
don't know if I can make it through this life with the amount of faith I have
or if I can really be pleasing to God.

In Mark, Jesus understood the problem of the father's
faith and did what was necessary to help. Do you think he is any less
understanding with us? No, he is caring and compassionate and wants everyone to
be saved 2 Peter 3: 9.

Dear God, I believe, but help me in the times of my
weakness to overcome my unbelief.