David Bahn - Reflections David Bahn

Always forward - in the Spirit. There are times when God's Holy Spirit takes us along paths we had never seen coming. There are times when we propose but God disposes in a different direction. We make our plans. But if we wish to be faithful we will say, as James warns us if it is God's will we will go to this or that place..." (cf. James 4:13-15).

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This nor the book burning recorded here were acts of censorship. These were acts of repudiation. They were not saying, "You cannot read these books," per se. But they were saying, "We won't read these books any longer. We repudiate our practice of magic arts and divest ourselves of all that was involved in that practice. These people had a profound change of heart. They were dramatically converted. I'm reminded of Saul on the road to Damascus.

Faith finds the grace of God already there. Faith does not cause God's grace. So when I believed for that struggling wife, or the father of the little girl believed for the sake of his daughter, we looked for something that was already there.

God is the true healer of our body and souls. He heals sometimes miraculously. Sometimes medically. And sometimes mercifully – when he takes us from this veil of tears into the clear and gracious presence of Jesus. And on the Great Last Day we will experience that full and complete healing ourselves – forever.

When someone's skill and competence is not complemented by their character, dangerous things happen. If character is lacking, competent people can do great harm. God shaped Paul's character through his suffering and hardships. We can keep this in mind whenever we meet challenges and difficulties of any kind. God is at work not only in the times of glory and success, but also when we face trials and tribulations. For our good and the good of others.

We live under Christ in his rule and reign of grace and truth. His is the way of life and salvation, glory and joy. Jesus is Lord because he is Redeemer. When I was lost, he found me. When I was ensnared by sin, he forgave me. When I was dead he made me alive. When I was blind, he gave me sight. He did all this so that I may live under him in his rule and reign.