Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Theme Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:11
The source of the phrase, “The devil is in the details” is a bit unsure. It is thought to be a derivation of the phrase “God is in the detail,” thought to be from an old German proverb sometime in the 1800s. Whatever the origin, both phrases are profoundly true. As we begin a new year, we often look to get things in order, so that we can improve our quality of life. For a Christian, this is a great practice but is also one that should be approached with a measure of caution. Why? Because the devil CAN be in the details! Just because we decide we want our lives to be better does not mean we will automatically go about it in a God-honoring way! So, what do we watch out for? After a life examination, how can we be sure to have the details of our desires be more appropriate, have godliness written all over them and no trace of the devil?

Theme Scripture: Galatians 5:17
Technology brings the world to the palm of your hand. This means we are bombarded with voices. Worldly voices of opinion, anger, politics, perspective, ego, trends and personal interpretations of morality. If you have technology in your life, it is virtually impossible to completely shut these voices out. On the other hand, we have the voice of God through His Word and through His people. This voice is powerful but quiet. It is relevant but subtle. It is nourishing but it seems outdated. It is transformative in a very positive way, but it is also laughed at as out of touch. So, how do we identify the voices around us and then intentionally choose whose will influence us to listen?

Theme Scripture: Luke 2:10
So, what is Christmas about? Well, that depends on who you are. For some, Christmas is traditionally a time for family and friends. It’s a time when we are more likely to put aside the stresses of our daily grind and give a little more, smile a little more and notice what is around us a little more. It is a time to slow down and have gratitude. For others, it is a time of gifts, parties, decorations and entertainment. Spending goes into overdrive and the excitement rules the day. It is a time to speed up and be everywhere. For Christians, Christmas should be a time for gratitude as we reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus. While we can do the family and friends things and also be part of the excitement and entertainment, how can we maintain our focus on the most important thing?

Theme Scripture: Joshua 24:15
Outside of some deeply philosophical debates, the idea of human beings having inherent freedom of choice seems to be a generally acceptable premise. Free will makes us special. The capacity of conscious choice establishes humankind in a unique category in relation to the rest of life on our planet. When human beings interfere with the freedom of choice of other humans, the consequences are usually dark. We end up with things like oppression, slavery and dictatorships. Does God ever interfere with our freedom of choice? Does He ever override an individual’s chosen pathway and force them onto another one? Some scriptures seem to indicate this, but is it? How do we understand the value and application of human choice in God’s ultimate plan?

Theme Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15
The Bible is a complicated book. It is a book of many books written in several languages over more than 1,500 years by the hand of about 40 individuals. It contains history and prophecy, as well as spiritual, moral and legal guidance. Its content is relayed in the form of historical records, letters, proclamations and in symbolic and metaphorical language. Some teachings are in story form, some are illustrated by example, and others are expressed by way of rigid law. The Bible contains catchy phrases, exaggeration, long genealogies and profound truth. Intertwined in all of this is the word of God and the message of His divine plan of all ages for all of humanity. So, where does one start – how does one start to find a way to understand what it is saying?

Theme Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:3-4
Near-death experiences  (NDEs) are common. They have been reported from cultures and religions worldwide for hundreds of years. In this near-death scenario, there is usually a dark tunnel with a warm and calming light at the end. Often there are deceased relatives waiting in that light to receive the person going through the  experience. Sometimes the person feels and sees themselves leave their body. At Christian Questions, we have always held that the Bible teaches that death is the absence of life. Could these NDEs be shedding a different light and proof on this subject? Are these experiences showing us a gateway to the supernatural, or could they in any way be physiological? One way or another, NDEs prove something. This question is, what?

Theme Scripture: Philippians 1:12-13
Every Christian wants to be faithful in living their life with thankfulness. One immediate question that arises is, what causes us to be thankful? What life experiences bring us to gratitude? Most of us would answer that we feel appreciativeness when things fall into place or when a hard experience yields a righteous result. These are great times to give honor to God, but what about when the opposite happens? What kind of acknowledgment do we give to God when our opportunities are cut off for no good reason? Would we be grateful if we were singled out to have our personal freedoms to spread the gospel stripped, and we were instead literally locked in our house? The Apostle Paul was. The last several years of his life were mostly spent as a prisoner of Rome. What was his secret to rejoicing?

As a Christian, we never want to be in a situation where we end up fighting against God. Yet, we may end up in this position more often than we’d expect. To fight FOR God is to stand for His principles, His Plan and His purposes as outlined in Scripture. This sounds simple, but it really isn't. We find ourselves fighting against Him when we are misinformed or misguided and we take a stand for something that is less than godly. Sometimes we mistakenly or purposefully misrepresent God’s word or focus on motivation that is less than spiritually pure. It is easy to look at our thoughts and preferences and interpret them as “God’s will” for us and then pursue them with confidence. So, how do we know if we are really on God’s side or someone else’s in these circumstances?

Theme Scripture: James 5:16
We always say that prayer changes things - and it does. Jesus was emphatic about prayer and even gave us an example of how to pray in what is known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” With prayer, as with so many parts of Christian doctrine, the core value of what the Bible teaches easily gets lost in the interpretive value of our own human perspective. Because of the imperfect human part of the equation we create many questions. What about those circumstances where someone prays for what they need, and they simply don’t get it? Is the problem that God is not listening or that He doesn’t want them to have what they need? Is the problem that this person not praying appropriately? How does prayer really work?

It seems like wisdom has become old fashioned and obsolete. When I think of wisdom, I think of a thoughtful approach that is not driven by self-interest. I think of quiet observation that seeks to understand the people, the facts and the circumstances before weighing in with answers. When I think of wisdom, I think of my Grandma Helen. She lived a hard life and yet judged no one, always found a way to help and contribute and continually guided others towards their best and most integrity-filled path. When I think of wisdom, I think of Jesus. I think of his everyday life, his teaching, his obedience to his Father and his selflessness. When I think of wisdom, I don’t ever think of our day and our tech-driven, opinion-heavy and reaction-riddled approach. What happened? Where did we go wrong?