Archives for January 2020

Loving God: A Valentine Reflection

A Pharisee asked Jesus, “Master, what are we to consider the greatest commandment?” Without a pause Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:35-36).

Perhaps everyone worries about this at times. We cannot find any such feeling in ourselves. What are we to do? The answer: Act as if you did! Do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself, “If I were sure that I loved God, what would I do?” When you have found the answer, go and do it. Loving God, then, is not romantic feelings, but a deliberate decision of the will.

Arsenic Eaters

In Genesis 1:26-28, God gave humanity the responsibility of management of His creation. When we discover wisdom which God placed in creation, we can use it for good. 

The Chinese brake fern has a rare ability: it thrives on poison, absorbing levels of arsenic that would kill most organisms. It combines arsenic from the soil with other compounds, to produce a substance which defends them against hungry insects, such as locusts. 

Finding Well-Being –
A New Year’s Resolution

A OnePoll survey reported that the average adult in the United States wakes up grumpy 300 times per year. Psychoanalyst Erica Komisar thinks she know why: “One of the most important explanations–and perhaps the most neglected–is declining interest in religion.” 

Indeed, a Harvard study of 5,000 children and teens reported that those who attended a religious service at least once per week scored higher on well-being measurements and had lower risks of mental illness. They also experienced a sense of mission, forgiveness, and lower probabilities of drug use and early sexual initiation. 

Jesus said:  “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Check it out! 

Source: World Magazine, December 28, 2019 (Vol. 34, No. 24), p. 13. 

“Let marriage be held in honor…” (Hebrews 13:4)

The share of U.S. adults ages 18-44 who have ever cohabited with a romantic partner is 59%. 

Only 50% of Americans in that age bracket have ever married. 

Source: World Magazine, December 7, 2019 (Vol. 34, No. 23), p. 9.