There just might be a centralized Way, Truth, and Life after all. But the path to it is Decentralized.
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“Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth” —Isaiah 55:10-11
Science & Faith = there are parallels everywhere if you’re paying attention. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection. Science says the water cycle is essential for life on earth. Jesus says the Way and the Truth are essential for Life eternal. All who seek will have opportunity to collect. Don’t let your chance evaporate.
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“Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
—Matthew 10:26-33Yet so many of us will say whatever it takes to stay in good favor with the “central authorities” and the arbiters of popular opinion. Whether at our job, in the government, or even just among our friends and family on social media. Can there be Truth anywhere in a world full of panderers? Depends…
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“What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.”
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body”
—Matthew 10:26-33Easier said than done for us mere mortals. But how far are you willing to go to stand up for what you believe? Are you still skeptical of the message? Or just fearful of the consequences?
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“…for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.”
—Romans 5:12-15Do you really need a “central authority” on earth to teach you right from wrong, and to hold you accountable? You can wait for trending politicians and lawmakers to give you new licenses and loopholes, or you can follow (on your own terms) the one authority that’s always been there if you’re paying attention.
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“In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion.”
“O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them”
—Jeremiah 20:10-13(Counter-point) Avoid a race to the bottom. Your success in following His lead may leave your detractors confused, but you need not seek shame or vengeance on them. Nor would they seek your failure if they were following His lead. Follow Him. Look upward & onward, not downward & backward.
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“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine… But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.”
—Jeremiah 20:10-13On the path to success, those you leave in your wake will often resent you. Maybe even wish for your failure. But if you’re doing it for the right reasons and following the right lead, you have little to fear. Your friends were (and still are) just as welcome to join you on this journey…
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“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
—Matthew 9:36-10:8No matter the political system on earth – we’ve all received gifts and privileges we didn’t necessarily earn. Some more so than others. You can sit and wait (or lobby) for the “central government” to tell you how best (or how not) to apply yours (or others to apply theirs), or you can do the…
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“At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
—Matthew 9:36-10:8Lots of people wandering around with no purpose or direction, no belief in anything, no trust or faith in anyone, and no desire to work or contribute. Yet they tell us we’ve never been richer. A failure of leadership? Or is everyone just looking in the wrong place?
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“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
“The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’”
—John 6:51-58The best, world changing ideas always sound crazy at first, right? How much do you trust the message and the messenger? At some point, we all have to put our faith in something. What are you willing to put yours on the line for?
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“Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
—Corinthians 10:16-17If it sounds too communal or socialist to you, you’re missing the point. Jesus was probably more of a libertarian than a socialist (if he cared about politics at all). He wants you to find Him on your own terms. In this world, it’s the freedom to seek the right bread (and baker) that matters.…
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