Brother and Friend

“A Brother may not be a Friend, but a Friend will always be a Brother.” - Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

ActiveWord: The Tragedy at VA Tech

'Why did God allow this to happen?' That's a question that has been asked tens of thousands of times in various forms this week. Of course, the reason for those questions is the horrific crime committed on the campus of Virginia Tech earlier this week.

As a matter of fact, a friend just told me about an email he received yesterday from a skeptical acquaintance. The skeptic asked, 'You claim that your God is sovereign and that He is good. So how do you explain this?'

But it is not just skeptics asking hard questions this week. I know that a lot of sincere believers wrestle with doubts or confusion whenever one of these senseless tragedies takes place. It's okay to have questions, as long as we know where to go for real answers--God's unfailing Word.

There we learn that, though God is sovereign, we live in a fallen world, filled with fallen people with the freedom to choose. But we also learn that, for those of us who have turned our lives over to Him, He is using His sovereign might to cause everything that happens to work for our good (Romans 8:28). God's truth allows us to comprehend the incomprehensible.

Click here to receive the complimentary audio teaching by Pastor Bob Coy titled "The Goodness of God."

^{I have more I'd like to share with you along these lines than I can't possibly include in an email. That's why I want to make a teaching of mine available to you at no cost. It is called "The Goodness of God." My hope is that it will help you grasp God's ultimate sovereignty and goodness, even in the shadow of such a devastating tragedy--and that it can help you find answers to the questions you, or your friends and loved ones, may be asking right now.}

^{If you would like a copy of this audio CD, simply click here. It is yours just for requesting it.}

Until the whole world hears,

Pastor Bob

© 2006 Active Word. All rights reserved.
The Active Word | PO Box 5767 | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310 "

The Key to Success! by Steve Arterburn

New Life Ministries: 1-800-NEW-LIFE: "The Key to Success!

by Steve Arterburn

'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.' - Romans 5:3-5

Looking for an edge in life? Consider this: God is the key to any success you may have in learning to control your desires. He must be your strength, your counselor, and your sure foundation.

Why is God so important? Because He’s the source and fulfillment of all human life, including yours. In other words, you were created by God as well as for God. We often forget the latter.

St. Augustine made this beautiful confession nearly seventeen centuries ago: “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You, O Lord.” It was true for him then, and it’s true for you now.

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2)
“Whoever drinks the water I give Him,” said Jesus, “will never thirst…[it] will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 14:4)
“I am the bread of life,” said Jesus, “He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Behind all your cravings is a craving for G"

The Ransomed Heart - Missing the Most Important Thing

Missing the Most Important Thing 04/22/2007 We take folks through a discipleship program whereby they master any number of Christian precepts and miss the most important thing of all, the very thing for which we were created: intimacy with God. There are, after all, those troubling words Jesus spoke to those who were doing all the “right” things: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you’” (Matt. 7:23). Knowing God. That’s the point. You might recall the old proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same holds true here. Teach a man a rule and you help him solve a problem; teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life. Truth be told, you couldn’t master enough principles to see yourself safely through this Story. There are too many surprises, ambiguities, exceptions to the rule. Things are hard at work—is it time to make a move? What has God called you to do with your life? Things are hard at home—is this just a phase your son is going through, or should you be more concerned? You can’t seem to shake this depression—is it medical or something darker? What does the future hold for you—and how should you respond? Only by walking with God can we hope to find the path that leads to life. That is what it means to be a disciple. After all—aren’t we “followers of Christ”? Then by all means, let’s actually follow him. Not ideas about him. Not just his principles. Him. (Waking the Dead , 96–97) From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 112 Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

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