Can Good Come from Evil?

Can Good Come from Evil?

by | Nov 5, 2020 | Apologetics, Evolution, Free Will, John Tarr

Can Good Come from Evil?

 

I am sure this is a question that will tie many people in knots both for Christians and non-believers.

It has also been around since the beginning since humans have walked this earth and could think and analyze questions in a deeply meaningful way. 

Life on our planet is very hard for many individuals and at times seems like evil has had free reign at times. 

I know I am stepping into the realm of God, but I think that it is OK because I am not shaking my fist at Him and being accusatory and blaming Him for many hardships in life but one of sincere interest and wanting to find out how God ticks.

I remember what Dr. William Lane Craig once said about our existence here on earth “Is this the best possible of all worlds?”

Given the freewill additive in the mix, how would you answer this?

Remember this is not a question of good and bad but one that is essentially asking “Can good come out of evil?”

“Is this the best possible of all worlds?”

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

To atheistic evolutionists, the question,“did man spring from low life forms”, is a nonstarter. They would argue that there is no evil or good and bad but just “is”

To them, nothing can be wrong because they have a mindset of “survival of the fittest” but, as Christians, we come from a place of ultimate authority and view the universe from an intelligent designer perspective and not one that evolved by happy accidents throughout the millennium. 

Being an atheist for the first part of my adult life, I understand the atheist mind, because I was one. 

Yes, I had ulterior motives in those days because of the childhood I suffered through, but I believe it made me intellectually smarter because I had to tear down a preconceived bias that I held dear to my existence.

How could there be a God, with all this crap going on in the world?

I was not willing to flip the question and look at the positive aspects of this question because all I could see was the bad in the question “Is There Good in Evil?”

If there is a God, how could He allow evil in the first place much less, bad?

From our limited perspective, we ask these questions, without hesitation, because of our arrogance and human understanding.

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

Are we qualified to make that judgment?

We are know-it-alls from our birth until we die. Maybe that is why the bible says we are in a state of rebellion from the get-go.

Our sinful state is something to be overcome. 

Freewill does have its limitations and distractions.

God knew from the beginning, we would be this way but yet, He still puts up with us.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” — Romans 8:28.

In times of chaos and strife, we have to hold onto God’s word and His promises.

We have to know that there is nothing that He cannot do when He has a mind to do something.  

As humans, we do not have the power on our own to overcome our sinful state but with God in control, we can.That takes the burden off my shoulders and gives me hope to start again and again and again…

 

R.C.Sproul at Ligonier Ministries, had an interesting take “How Can God Bring Good Out of Evil?”

 

We have many more articles you might be interested in by going here Two Measures Foolish Blogs

 

Can Good Come from Evil?

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Can You Admit You Are Wrong?

Can You Admit You Are Wrong?

by | Oct 12, 2020 | Christian Thought, Forgiveness, John Tarr

Can You Admit You Are Wrong?

How hard is it for you to admit you are wrong about something? How about admitting that to those close to you, like your wife, children, or people at work, or someone that you may not have seen eye-to-eye with in the past?

Let’s face it, admitting you have been wrong takes a certain amount of humility. Your self-esteem takes a real hit.

Romans 12:3 says “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

I know it has been very hard for me at times in my life to admit I have been wrong, especially with my wife. If I admit I am wrong, my brain shoots back to my childhood where everyone seemed to consider me as not very intelligent.

My teachers in first and second grade and my family thought I was of low IQ (and still does) because of attention deficit (they did not name it that in the 1950’s) but called it retarded.

Everyone was convinced I was retarded.

They sent me to a counselor when I was 7 or 8 years old for help with my cognitive skills. After one session he told my parents that my IQ was not low but that I needed to have my hearing checked.

They did and found my hearing was very bad. I had lost hearing completely in one ear and about 50% in the other. That is why everyone thought I was ignoring them.

I had exceptionally bad earaches as a child and would scream for hours on end because of the pain. Eventually the doctors took out my tonsils which turned out to be the cause of the infection in both ears.

By that time the damage was done, and my hearing would never improve.

The damage was also done in my psyche in my early years of child development.

That mindset has followed me my whole life so when I have had a problem where something did not work or I have to admit that I am wrong about something,  it shoots me back to feeling stupid and retarded.

That feeling has been lurking in the back of my brain all my life and has done damage in many of my past relationships, especially with my wife.

God has been working on this issue with me since I became a Christian, but it is not totally gone. I have become much better with her, but it still raises its ugly head from time to time.

Funny thing is that I have noticed when I do admit I was wrong about something with her, she finds it very hard to forgive me, at least right away.

She also finds it much harder to admit she was wrong about something.

I think many wives are like that. Why is that?

I think it’s because we as husbands have wounded them far more than they have wounded us. I know this is an overgeneralization, but I have observed this play out in many marriages.

My last two questions for us to answer. 

1.) How hard is it for you to admit you are wrong about something?

2.) What is our opinion of ourselves and is it accurate from God’s perspective?

 

I hope you enjoyed this article. We have written many on our relationship to God and Jesus Christ. If you would like to read more go to Two Measures Foolish Blog. 

 

Can You Admit You Are Wrong?

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What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

by | Sep 28, 2020 | Apologetics, Gratefulness, John Tarr

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful? 

When I had set out to write this article, I already had some idea of my limitations about this subject of being grateful. Gratitude has not come easily to me.

I have never really had a mind set that would help me to think this way. You see, I was an atheist until I was 30 years old so being grateful was an abstract thought for most of my life. If I worked hard and fulfilled my dreams my accomplishments had nothing to do with anything or anyone else but me.

Once I became a Christian that changed but I was still not in a good mindset of being grateful. Maybe I expressed gratitude when I prayed but not in my daily dealings with life, and certainly not when I was angry, in a bad mood or depressed.

A very good friend of mine opened this bag of worms (bag of gratefulness) in a phone call a month ago. He said he suffered from sadness or depression most of his life and was trying to kick that habit.

As we talked, I think God spoke to me and said, “How can you be sad or depressed when you are grateful?” I told my friend this and we talked at some length about the subject.

A few weeks later my friend Randy was leading the Men’s Hope Group at our church that I belong to and his subject for the night was “being grateful”.

He opened the discussion for everyone to participate in.

Listening to the different men explain their thoughts was eye opening but one thing that was repeated many times was that the other men were also having the same problem of being grateful as I was.

My cousin Ellen said to me when I told her I was writing a blog on this topic.

“We think of our struggles as punishments. Could it be that God is trying to help us grow beyond our finite perspectives? Gratitude during our trials helps build character from God’s perspective.”  

“We Think of Our Struggles As Punishments

That response from her was very powerful and hit the nail on the head.

I then decided to contact family and friends and find out their thoughts on being grateful. I wondered if, perhaps, we all could learn from each other.

Below are many of the comments they wrote me when I asked them “What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful”

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

“Blessing & being content!!!!” — Rosie

“Gratitude makes you believe you have a responsibility to give back to the others. Entitlement makes you believe others have a responsibility to give back to you.”

AND

“You could also argue all worship is a form of gratitude for what God has done or is doing. At the very least, gratitude is one of if not the primary vehicle of worship.” — Justin

“Gratefulness is a gift from God. It rewires the human brain for good, lifts the spirits, cheers the heart, cancels greed and entitlement mentality and brings a sense of peace and well-being to one’s soul. Gratitude acknowledges the goodness of God.” — Randy

“Being grateful to GOD should in turn make you more humble and then turn into obedience to His will in your life.” — Erik

“Gratitude is an open awareness of our finite abilities and God’s ultimate authority and sovereignty. It is the recognition of God’s renewed mercies every day. Gratitude is also having the ability to pause and give thanks for all of God’s creation both large and small, and our interactions within it.  It is a form of surrender and appreciation of God’s influence and work in our lives. Gratitude means taking nothing for granted, or seeking from an entitlement perspective, as no living thing is worthy or deserving of God’s love and mercy, yet He gives it freely. Every day we have the opportunity to be grateful for each breathe of life we are given, and the fact that God sustains all things.” — Ellen

“The more grateful we are, the more people see Jesus shine in you. The more grateful we are, the joy of the Lord is in us. A grateful heart is a humble heart.” — Connie

“Gratefulness reflects appreciation. It reflects humility. It acknowledges the giver. It also reflects graciousness. Who doesn’t like the person who lives their life from a place of gratefulness?” — Lynwood

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

“Gratitude promotes a feeling of kindness and love for the giver and receiver. In other words, when someone gives you a gift or shows you kindness, you both walk away with a warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy.” — Tom

“Being Grateful, helps keep you humble and thankful for everything and everyone in your life!” — Shaun

“Becoming grateful – or looking around for things to appreciate & be thankful for – brings incredible amounts of joy & peace & fulfillment, where there used to be misery, cynicism, restlessness.” — Ariel

“When you are feeling truly grateful, it pushes all sinful attitudes out. There’s no room for feeling bitterness, covetousness, anger, jealousy etc. —  It re-focuses our hearts on the gifts that God has blessed us with and helps us to truly love God and the people He has placed in our lives.” — Candace

“The main benefit of being grateful for me is to concentrate on something that is good in my life and not think so much of what is negative.” — Kathy 

“Being grateful….

  • Feelings of dissatisfaction with what you have.
  • Lends to being a more forgiving person.
  • Improves appreciation for the blessings frequently taken for granted
  • Reduces stress and improves your health.
  • Grateful people are more cheerful.
  • Grateful people handled success better.
  • Being more concerned for others than yourself is a byproduct of gratefulness
  • Grateful persons are a joy to be around
  • Being grateful supports other fruits of the Spirit
  • Grateful people are less condemning of themselves and others
  • Grateful people are not bitter people”
  • — Steve

“Being grateful is one of the few times you get to understand the value of anything, if you are never grateful then you can never understand what it is you have or what someone else has done for you. It means your outlook on life will most likely be pitted against you instead of for you. Being grateful provides not only a happier moment but a much stronger and durable guide to happiness, don’t we all want to be happy? Then we should all also be grateful no matter how little we feel we have.” — Jacob

“Benefits of being grateful is that it helps you to be happy and content with what you have. If you are always looking at what somebody else has that is better than what you have, you will not be satisfied. It keeps you from allowing yourself to be happy.” — Jason 

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

“I can’t see God clearly unless I am grateful. I am only truly grateful when I am humbled. I am only ever truly humbled when I recognize the depravity of my heart. I only see the depravity of my heart when I am transparent and in community. When I am transparent and in community, I see my need for God which brings me right back to being grateful!” — Paul

“Hope in the future is built on a foundation of recognizing our blessings and being grateful for them.” — Pam 

“One benefit of being grateful is an attitude change. If you are grateful your attitude is positive, and it will affect those around you.” — Freya

“Early in our marriage we sat under a much-loved pastor who constantly admonished his flock, “Have an attitude of gratitude,” and he consistently modeled that in his own life and speech. Another good friend speaks of the difference between an “abundance mentality” and a “scarcity mentality.” When we recognize that God’s provision for us really is enough, we will respond with gratitude, and that gratitude begets generosity.” — Rhonda

“Everything I have is a gift from God, my life, my family, my next breath. In living with this knowledge, I have peace that God provides.” — Jim

“Some of the benefits of being grateful: a more positive attitude and outlook, and helps my relationships go better too.” — Jack

“When thinking of this I was overwhelmed at the benefit of having a grateful heart. The first thing that came to mind was the overwhelming feeling of peace. A peace that only God can give and is the One to whom having a grateful heart belongs… His constant love and care in my life is only a portion of the gratefulness because the benefits are for me, too numerous to count. Hope being one of them. Joy and a sense of well-being. Sensing His constant care and concern for my life always keeps me in a mindset of gratitude on a daily basis, which for me, is life sustaining. I am so GRATEFUL for the benefits of GRATITUDE as it is also from the very Heart of God.” — Monica

“Being grateful stings the devil and takes him out of the equation.” — Keith

 

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

I personally thank each and every one of you that participated with this important question. I am Very Grateful (I knew I would get that in there at some point) that you took time out of your busy schedule to sit and reflect on this topic and then send me your answers.

I know many of the quotes are similar, but people did not have access to what others have said until now.

One last thought as I close.

I am personally grateful to the Christian God that created me and that He has the character qualities that He has, and that Jesus exhibited throughout His life. Loving, forgiving, humility, compassion, gentleness, self-control, patience, obedience, honesty and prayerful are just a few. 10 qualities of Jesus.

His amazing patience with me before I accepted Jesus into my heart and also the years afterward.

All my gratefulness radiates from Him.

If after reading this blog, if you would like to contribute to this discussion, please comment below so everyone can see what you have to say or maybe go to our Facebook page for a lively discussion once this blog is posted.

This is what Two Measures Foolish is all about—digging deeper into the things of God and our world that He made for us to live and grow in.

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What Are the Benefits of Being Grateful?

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Christian Thirty Points of Prayer

Christian Thirty Points of Prayer

by | Jul 23, 2020 | Daily Thoughts, Prayer, Randy Williams

Christian Thirty Points of Prayer

A list from my heart of things I believe from the Bible that are undisputed concerning God’s will for you and me.

 

I use these in the morning as points to pray for you and me. I am absolutely convinced they are a part of God’s will for us.

 

  1. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Salvation – soften their hearts, give them light, open their eyes to see You Jesus.

 

  1. For Your will to be done in them.

 

  1. That they would love You with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength.

 

  1. To love their neighbors as themselves.

 

  1. Keep the Biblical moral commands and have supernatural grace to do that. 

 

  1. Come to the knowledge of truth and see everything from Your perspective. 

 

  1. To bring glory, honor to God and reflect His life to the world.

 

  1. To be filled with and controlled by God’s Holy Spirit. 

 

  1. To learn and be self-controlled.

 

  1. To listen to and obey the promptings of the Lord.

 

  1. To spend quality time with God and recharge in His Word. To absolutely see this as a matter of life and death. 

 

  1. To take God up on His gift of prayer and actually be a prayer warrior. 

 

  1. To have a soft heart to share Jesus with others motivated by His love. 

 

  1. To be sanctified and become more like Jesus Christ. 

 

  1. Be in a fruitful holy covenant marriage relationship.
Christian Thirty Points of Prayer
  1. To be a responsible steward over all God has given you and honor Him.

 

  1. To always be thankful and grateful. 

 

  1. To choose by an act of your will to seek, ask, knock  in your  pursuit of God.

 

  1. To have strong Christian friends and be involved in a fellowship and serve and disciple others the Lord brings.

 

  1. To overcome the world, the flesh and the devil through Christ’s risen power. To be an overcomer at the end.

 

  1. To keep a short account with the Lord regarding your sins.

 

  1. To risk loving deeply, even if imperfectly. To have a circumcised heart.

 

  1. To take care of your body as it is a temple of the Lord.

 

  1. To have no others gods before you especially the little idols of the world. 

 

  1. To live righteously by faith, not in unbelief. 

 

  1. To understand spiritual warfare and use the authority Christ has given us to win the battle for ourselves and others.

 

  1. To bear much fruit for the glory of Christ.

 

  1. To bear up under sufferings, trials and temptations.

 

  1. In order to beat addictions and literally rewire your brain with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

  1. To know God and enjoy Him forever.

 

Christian Thirty Points of Prayer

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Marriage Mimic’s Our Spiritual Relationship with Christ

Marriage Mimic’s Our Spiritual Relationship with Christ

by | Jul 8, 2020 | Apologetics, Daily Thoughts, Randy Williams

Marriage Mimic’s Our Spiritual Relationship with Christ

We see the promise of eternal bliss in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, illustrated in marriage, (your relationship with your wife), parent -child, and friendship.

We know the possibility of a perfect relationship without spot, wrinkle, or blemish.

We see this in the Eternal and unending joy that the God Father and God the Son and Holy Spirit experienced prior to the interruption of the event of the cross when Jesus became sin for us, and God had to turn his head!! 

That perfect eternal relationship was broken. 

Marriage is probably the most important illustration and teaching tool of what God is after in terms of His relationship to us. What I have been noticing is the complexity of being born into and raised by sinful, broken people who are not only imperfect but have a nature to be rebellious towards the very One who created them.

Marriage Mimic’s Our Spiritual Relationship with Christ

After salvation the Holy Spirit, God Himself enters in to our being and we began to experience a higher plane in terms of our relationship with Him. (Even the possibility of a perfect relationship with a perfect being).

In order for us to have an intimate relationship with God Our nature has to reflect the nature of Christ and through the blood of Christ God sees us as alive, not dead in our sins.

Without the life of Christ in us we are just like zombies. 

It certainly wouldn’t work to have a relationship with a dead person, physically or spiritually. Marriage seems to mimic our spiritual relationship with Christ in many ways. As successful healthy marriage is very godly (if it follows the same path of pursuit spiritually), In practical terms, all of the same things that would interrupt our fellowship with God can also interrupt a marriage.

For example, we have a supernatural enemy who is against any harmony and love and will do anything to destroy marriage. We have our fleshly desires and our selfishness which continues to try to put ourselves on the throne of our lives and certainly is only in love with self.

We have a multitude of distractions that continually causes us to wander off of that very clear simple path.  We have all pressures dealing with our human body; aging, health, survival, and safety.

The challenge in both relationships are real and seemingly unending.  Our blessed Hope is to be free from all that would come between that oneness. 

The minute by minute work is pruning out anything that comes between that.

Thank God for GRACE that comes down from the Father of lights saving us continually from ourselves.

It is easier for a small child to love. They don’t focus on the bad in a person.

 

Marriage Mimic’s Our Spiritual Relationship with Christ

Author Randy Williams

Author Randy Williams

I have written other blog post on marriage and God’s relationship to us. “God Transforms His Bride”

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