A Second, First Name?

What if.. our names are not our true names?

In the movie Earthsea, the main character is given a new name once he accepts his destiny. Sparrow hawk. It is a secret name -because the name can be used to control him if in the wrong hands- but he is given it nonetheless.

Okay, enough fairy tales now...

In the Old Testament we see something quite similar, just without all the fantasy and magic. Abram, once he made a covenant with God to obey Him in order to receive God’s blessing, became Abraham. Likewise, Sarai became Sarah.

In the New Testament as well, we read of a man named Saul. Saul was a murderer who led the hunt and slaughter against the Lord’s disciples and followers. But, after an encounter with Jesus that turned his life around, he became Paul.

We are all “Saul” in a way. Before we accept Christ, we are sinners just like Saul. But, once we realize who Christ is and invite Him to transform our lives, perhaps we too receive different names than the names given to us at birth?

I wonder what my name became...

Guess I’ll find out in heaven. :)

~LLP

Read the Bible - Take Your Time!

What if.. reading the Bible should be done slowly?

There is so much to the Bible, it makes sense to go-it-slow in order to get all we can out of it.

You hear about all these ways to read through the Bible in a year online and in churches, yet why does it have to be read so quickly? If the Bible was meant to be read in a year, God wouldn’t have made it so long and chocked full of goodness.

What is the need to rush? Just to say we have “read through the Bible in a year’s time?” What’s the point of that if we don’t have a clue what we have read by the end? Not only that, but you can never get that time back. It’s been and gone. And what will you have to show for it? I assure you, there won’t be a medal or anything else to commend your effort.

So, take your time. A chapter a day; several verses here and there; when a major issue comes up, see what it has to say on it.. Just make sure you are learning something from it and that learning is a constant endeavor.

There is a lot of really amazing stuff in the Bible. Find it, research, and know it inside and out, and you won’t ever regret the time spent doing so.

~LLP

Death by Love

What if.. we could die without love?

We kill for love. We strive for love. We thrive on love. So, doesn’t it make sense that we could die without it?

At least, in our minds, it would seem so.

“We can’t live without love,” we tell ourselves. And it’s true. There’s something inside us that cries out for it and will do almost anything to get it. Makes sense since we were created by a God who loves us more than we can even imagine.

But, we’ve fallen away from that love. It’s become tainted and warped -fake. We’ve lost sight of the true meaning and purpose of love. So much so that we look for the imitation kind to fill that ache within us just so we can get ourselves from point A to point B. So that we can glimpse or feel that love for just a moment.

Yet, it doesn’t last. And we keep looking for it over and over again.

When it disappears or crumbles, we are back to where we started. Loveless.

But, okay, I’m getting off topic a bit. Love is something we all simply MUST have, right? But, can we die without it? Is it possible to live without the love we find on this earth? That artificial love?

Yes. The answer is Jesus. Never has there been a more perfect love than the love shown through Jesus Christ. Without His love, we really do die. Every day.

Don’t know Him? You can today. Anyone can. His love is always open to you.

WDYT?

~LLP