Daily devotions

Tuesday

Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God

From Wall Street Journal (Eric Metaxas)

The odds of life existing om another planet grow ever longer. Intelligent design, anyone?

"...There’s more. The fine-tuning necessary for life to exist on a planet is nothing compared with the fine-tuning required for the universe to exist at all. For example, astrophysicists now know that the values of the four fundamental forces—gravity, the electromagnetic force, and the “strong” and “weak” nuclear forces—were determined less than one millionth of a second after the big bang. Alter any one value and the universe could not exist. For instance, if the ratio between the nuclear strong force and the electromagnetic force had been off by the tiniest fraction of the tiniest fraction—by even one part in 100,000,000,000,000,000—then no stars could have ever formed at all. Feel free to gulp.
Multiply that single parameter by all the other necessary conditions, and the odds against the universe existing are so heart-stoppingly astronomical that the notion that it all “just happened” defies common sense. It would be like tossing a coin and having it come up heads 10 quintillion times in a row. Really?
Fred Hoyle, the astronomer who coined the term “big bang,” said that his atheism was “greatly shaken” at these developments. He later wrote that “a common-sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with the physics, as well as with chemistry and biology . . . . The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.”
Theoretical physicist Paul Davies has said that “the appearance of design is overwhelming” and Oxford professor Dr. John Lennox has said “the more we get to know about our universe, the more the hypothesis that there is a Creator . . . gains in credibility as the best explanation of why we are here.”

See also the interview in FOX news with Eric Metaxas:

Christmas 2015

A Christmas Greeting


In an old song we sing ”He is coming...”. This is what Advent and Christmas are all about. In the different Bible scriptures of Advent Jesus is coming to us
-  as a small newborn child
-  like a King riding into Jerusalem, worshipped and praised by the crowds
-  as the future King who will once come back

That Jesus will come back is the main theme in the New Testament and Jesus says: “Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

While Jesus is preparing heaven for us, our task is to prepare ourselves for heaven.

Jesus left heaven and came to us on earth and it is here and now that we can meet Him.
-  We cannot meet Jesus as he is born as a little child.
-  We cannot meet Jesus as he is riding into Jerusalem.
-  We cannot meet Jesus today as He once will come back.

But, we believe that He is alive and that we can meet him here and now.
He is coming to us in our everyday life and that is where we can receive Him if we have open hearts.


Another year is coming to its end and we thank God for all we have experienced during this year.

We have been travelling a lot throughout the year. Our present ministry is partly to support and coach the new Lieutenants in the Norway, Island and Faroe Island territory. In connection with this, we have also been able to do Bible weekends and series of meetings in many different places; from the Faroe Islands and Island in the West to Vardö/Vatsö/Kirkenes in the East; and from Lyngdal in the South to Vardö/Vatsö/Kirkenes in the North. (Well, these towns are actually both the furthest North and the furthest East in Norway)

We wish you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015.
Rut and Peter           

 (The picture above is from our balcony an early morning in December)

Thursday

William Booth in Stockholm

Quotes from General William Booth´s speaches to the Swedish Salvation Army Officers during the Congress 1899:

Obviously there were five meetings. The following quotes are from the second meeting, where even Local Officers were invited and the General starts his speech like this:


My dear Comrades! This is a Congress for Staff- and Field Officers. If some of you Local Officers disapprove of the fact that you are not invited to all of the meetings, you should immediately sign up for candidateship! If you say that you are too old, that you are married and that you have settled down, in that case I feel sorry for you that you cannot come, but then we should get your oldest son or daughter instead! However, each Local Officer should regard it as their duty, from this moment on, to become an officer. Either he/she should become a candidate himself or he/she should send someone to replace him. If none of your soldiers can go you must try to get some suitable sinner saved. We must either have you, or someone else as a compensation for you!

After this introduction he is expressing his appreciation for the work of the Local Officers. He is talking about the importance of them using their opportunities to testify about Christ in their everyday life and at work. And then he says:

Our Local Officers have access everywhere (in society) and I wish you would appreciate your opportunities and know your responsibilities. One of the greatest curses that ever came over the Church was the idea that priests and missionaries were more responsible (for the work) than other Christians. Each soldier of Jesus Christ, each Salvation Army soldier is just as responsible as the Commissioners to commit themselves with spirit soul and body, life and all, for the glory of God and bringing salvation to sinners. Local Officers! You have your opportunities! Study them; Give yourselves fully in the hands of God and he will help you turn this country upside down.


Stockholm 2006-05-08

(From Booth, Ädelstenar (Precious Stones), Stockholm 1900)