God is good.
These are words often uttered to those experiencing difficult trials in their lives. Unfortunately, these also are words that often sound hollow to the one experiencing those trials--cotton-candy, feel-good, substanceless words in the midst of excruciating pain or unbearable temptation: God is good. Since the garden of Eden, one of humanity’s greatest temptations is to doubt that Author of Good is truly good. In the opening chapters of Genesis, everything God creates is “very good.” Yet, when the serpent comes to Eve, he plants this thought in her mind: God is withholding good from me.
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But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8) Certain life experiences often deepen the richness of certain Scriptural passages.
I’m a first-time father. I’m absolutely loving it! One of the things I love the most is watching my wife care for my beautiful daughter. And if there are two qualities that encapsulate my wife’s relationship to our new baby girl, it would deep affection and personal sacrifice. Taking care of an infant is literally a one-way street. The mother gives and gives and gives with zero reciprocity from the baby (other than the frequent “deposits” she so generously presents us). The baby can literally do nothing for the mom, and yet the mom gives her time, her energy, and her body to nurture and care for her child. Music is powerful. Artistic words carried to the ear by tear-jerking melody, driving beats, or care-free tunes make their way to the deepest parts of the soul and stay there. Music can evoke feelings and emotions in a way that the spoken word never can.
Have you ever thought about why music is so powerful and how it evokes such deep emotion? I believe the most powerful music speaks to one of two things in the heart of the listener: either a deep desire or a personal experience. In other words, we emotionally connect with a song when our heart’s response is "I want that," or "I've felt that." If you turn your radio to the local hit music station, most of the songs you hear will speak to one or both of those messages. I currently live in Detroit, Michigan, which has a significant Arab population. The cities of Dearborn and Hamtramck especially have a substantial Arab communities, but even in my small town of Melvindale, it’s not uncommon to see women walk down the street in burkas or supermarket signs written in Arabic. It’s an incredible mission field for the Gospel. But recently, I have realized how little I know about Islam.
I think it's important that Christians stop fearing Islam and start seeking to understand it. In fact, the limited studying I have done has actually strengthened my Christian faith. As I read how Islam describes Allah, I see how my God is completely different. As I read about Islam’s path for salvation, I rejoice in Christ’s sufficient death for my sins. The Allah of the Qur'an is not the God of the Bible. I hope that as you read the following three contrasts between Allah and Yahweh, you will be both prompted to praise your glorious Savior and pushed to spread the Gospel to those who still dwell in darkness. I’m a seminary student.
That means I enjoy a good theological debate. I like to nitpick and expose theological error. However, I think I have come to enjoy it a little too much. Refuting false teaching can quickly change from a Biblical imperative to an unhealthy obsession. Guarding the truth and exposing error is both necessary and commanded, but should it really be something we crave? Here are three indicators that you have crossed the line from Biblical nit-picking to sinful nit-picking. |
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