OLD & NEW

Contrasting images.

We who follow after the heart of God have a wonderful experience that continues to take place within us throughout our whole lives, and that is the chance to be renewed continually. There is a power working within us in the word of God that is rich with life because it is a living word and because we are a part of the living word, agreeing with it, living surrounded by it and having a birthplace in two arenas of life. That of the natural world around us and being born of a woman, and then a new birth of being born from above.

Jesus when talking to a member of the Jewish ruling council, whose name was Nicodemus, said to him you must be born again to enter into heaven. This was a new saying for the Jewish man, and thought, how is that to happen, do I have to reenter my mothers womb, I am old, what are you saying?

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit..." (see John 3:1-17)

We are much like the buildings we live in, work in and are surrounded by.

We are like them in this, that we must be built upon a solid foundation, one that no matter what the circumstances happening in the weather, especially where we live in the four seasons with it's multifaceted extremes. The building has to withstand everything according to it's surrounding climate.

You would not take a building design from here and built it the same way in Hawaii.

In the Christian community there are many different denominations but the same foundation. They are built upon the word of God and of Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, and we are built as living stones into that foundation. The differences being in doctrine.

When our forefathers, both in Canada and the US, were drafting up the constitutions and separation of church and state were brought into being, it was designed so that there would allow this diversity of religion. They knew that this was necessary to avoid some of the past governments being ruled by the church, an example being when the Catholic church in the early centuries had a strong ruling arm and made sure that they could wield that power at will. This type of power was not a government of the people, that was seen by our fore fathers as the proper way to govern. But at the same time these men, who almost all were believing and practicing Christians of one denomination or another also knew the importance of God being involved in their lives and so prayer and the reading of the Bible was a priority. They knew the importance of a foundation in Christian principles.

We are all the better off because of the decisions made on our behalf only a very short time ago.

The Christian church around the globe is about to celebrate the wonderful event of Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus.

Awesome and ever new with every passing year.

"For God so loved that..."

(photo Down town Toronto, by my wife, who has a keen eye)