Sunday Praise

It can be found in abundance in many places, but it is not sold in any store. It is not available in all circumstances, but it is desirable in many. Some people would pay a great deal of money for it, but it cannot be bought at any price. It can be obtained without money and maintained at very little cost. Those that have it in abundance may sometimes tire of it. If broken, it can be restored without charge. What is it? (Answer below)

Quotable and the Not So Quotable Quotes

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

I am not completely sold on the "any situation" of this quotation. It would follow that doing the wrong thing is better than doing nothing at all. This cannot be the case in any situation. While doing nothing when something must be done is definitely wrong, choosing between two good things does not make one of them wrong. Opinion often makes the call rather than results. Even considering only the results does not justify the means we choose to obtain the results. There are so many situations in life that we had better not apply generalizations that merely sound good. Bully!

"Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which though easy enough to understand is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

There is enough truth here to make this seem like a viable cause for hatred, but is it the real reason? The human heart cries out for justice. When the law is violated, law enforcement seeks to punish the violator. Hatred is not involved. The sinner and his sin are inseparable in the eyes of the law. Only the church of Jesus Christ can truly practice this, because only through Jesus comes forgiveness of sins.

The poison of hatred spreads in the world when there is no forgiveness. Injustice reaps vengeance where there is neither forgiveness nor punishment. Hatred flows from hearts that have never heard the gospel of Christ. Gandhi loved to point out inconsistencies in Christianity. That is not such a bad thing if we heed and correct them.

Humorous Quotes

How is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person? ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

Why do they put the Gideon Bibles only in the bedrooms, where it's usually too late, and not in the barroom downstairs? ~ Christopher Morley, Contribution to a Contribution

If you wonder where your child left his roller skates, try walking around the house in the dark. ~ Leopold Fechtner

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. ~ Will Rogers

A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married. ~ H.L. Mencken

Biblical Quotes - What is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1-6 "Faith is a firm foundation for us to build our hope upon, a conviction that something we cannot see does exist. On this basis our forefathers gained God's approval. Faith is understanding in our inner being that the spoken word of God set up time and eternity so that what we see may shine out of that which has not been made.
It was through faith Abel offered God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which it testified of him that he was righteous. God bore witness in respect to his gifts and through faith he still speaks, though dead.
It was through faith Enoch was changed so he did not have to experience death, and he was not found because God transferred him; for it was testified before the exchange that he lived to please God. So then without any faith it is entirely impossible to please God; for in coming to Him it is absolutely necessary to believe that He exists, and He is One who rewards those seeking for him." ~ From an unpublished manuscript, RSVP to God.

The Week's Best Link(s)

Tolerance and Religious Freedom

Just a note to explain why this link was selected. The couple spoke out for Jesus and against Mohamed in a way that offended Muslims at a scheduled debate in the couple's hotel. Anyone present was there by their own choice, yet one woman complained she was offended. The British Government then arrested them, imposed sanctions against their business, and released them while awaiting trial on criminal charges for what they said. It is a crucial bit of information concerning the way things are starting to go in another previously free country. We will be seeing more and more of this across Europe and the Americas as Islam strengthens its grip on the western world. Religious persecution will only be leveraged against Christians who name the name of Jesus. Tolerance applies to all others, and those who cry for tolerance the loudest will be the least tolerant of Christians.

ANSWER TO THE LEADING PARAGRAPH QUESTION: When you speak to name it, you break it. It is silence.