We could all use some good news, eh? An amazing story was shown on television this week: a woman in England played the violin while doctors removed a tumour from her brain. You can watch this at: https://globalnews.ca/news/6569602/violin-brain-surgery/.
George Worthy shared the following in an email: “The world these days is full of bad news, with the coronavirus outbreak, tensions throughout the Middle East, and the natural disasters that continue to take place. It’s a time of trouble all right, and for us believers, it may sometimes be hard to believe – but it never is as bad as it seems. Let me illustrate with a joke I like to share with my messages.
Way out west (in America, of course), a cowboy is driving down a road, his dog riding in the back of his pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer behind. As he takes a curve on the highway he suddenly loses control of the vehicle and has a terrible accident.
Sometime later, a State Police officer comes on the scene. A great lover of animals, the officer’s attention is first drawn to the horse. Realizing the serious nature of its injuries, he draws his service revolver and puts the animal out of its misery. Then walking around the accident he finds the dog, also critically wounded, and whining miserably in pain. This grips his heart and he quickly ends the dog’s suffering as well.
Finally, the police officer locates the cowboy, who has suffered multiple fractures and can barely breathe. “Hey, are you okay?” he says. The cowboy takes one look at the smoking gun in the trooper’s hand and quickly replies, with unexpected energy, “Never felt better!”
In his book “Standing Strong,” Dr. Charles Stanley identifies the convictions that we must have in order to overcome difficulties in life. He begins by examining the importance of having a solid foundation. Just as a building will fall if it is not constructed on a solid foundation, so, too, our life must be built on the right foundation. From the time when the devil (disguised as a serpent) questioned God’s instructions to Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5), enemies of the truth have opposed the Word of God.
There are many excellent resources that examine the reliability of the Scriptures, including “The New Testament Documents” by F.F. Bruce (http://minnehahachurch.org/Library/06Writing/NTDocuments-Reliable-Bruce.pdf) and “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell. The Lord Jesus quoted Scripture when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). May we follow His example by studying and proclaiming the Word of God.
Scripture for the weekend: “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “When suffering and disappointments come our way, if our lives are built on the right foundation, we can stand no matter what happens. If they’re not, we won’t.” – Dr. Charles Stanley (from his book “Standing Strong”)