Pastor Brad’s Notebook

"Woe to you who are at ease in Zion..." Amos 6:1 I believe that the saddest thing in the world is indifference. I think that it is sadder than any heresy, sadder than any false belief; yes, sadder even than any honest unbelief. You see, the mind which has struggled into rest is one to be envied. The mind that has struggled without ever finding rest has to be appreciated. But the mind that has never even experienced any struggle at all, well, that mind is to be pitied.

"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left...?" Jonah 4:11 The ones the prophet speaks of here are the infants of the great, but godless city of Nineveh. They were those lives which had yet to reach an age of conscious discernment. This is truly a wonderful passage that shows us so much about the heart of our loving God.

"Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." Psalm 143:10 What a striking contrast between the Psalmist's prayer and that of the Muslim.  The Muslim prays "Teach me your will," and "lead me to a destined land," but that's where the similarity ends. The Muslim wants to be taught the will of his god because he believes it is his destiny. The Psalmist desires to be taught God's will because it is good. You see, unlike the Muslim, the Psalmist doesn't view the will of God as an arbitrary, capricious thing that comes and goes with every passing hour. The Psalmist realizes that it is the voice of One who has no choice but righteousness. It is His nature - who He is. Thus, the Psalmist declares "Your Spirit is good."

It is an unambiguous statement. You can’t dodge it or soften it. God says it openly, plainly and publicly – “I hate divorce…” (Malachi 2:16) Why does God hate divorce? Why does divorce break the heart of our God? I believe, among other things, it is because of what it does to the family – the picture of our relationship with Him and the foundational building block of society. More specifically, I believe that God hates divorce because of what it does to the children of those families that suffer the tragedy of divorce.