It’s all about how you get along with others.  Is your wife getting on your nerves?  Is your husband SO not the same man that you married?  Are the kids out of control?  How about the neighbors?

Unless you’re a hermit, completely cut off from society, then you rarely go through a day without encountering at least one other human being.  You will interact with this person by your words, looks, body language, touch or even silence.  They will receive that communication, process it (often quickly) and generate a response.  Then it’s your turn.  Then theirs.  And so it goes.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of these events will occur in a single day.

Most of the time we will go through them without giving them a second thought.  Sometimes they evoke a feeling of love, joy or sympathy.  At other times tension will prevail due to anger or hurt.  This is the makeup of life.  It’s a major part of what separates us from the animals.  Do you ever give thought to how someone is perceiving you?  Have you ever changed your approach?  If so, why?

The Bible tells us to care for others more than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).  How do you do that?  Aren’t we put here to correct others?  What if we’re not appreciated for what we do?  Jesus was a great example of caring for others, but he was perfect.  Can we be expected to do the same?

With our technological advances in communication we are able to witness even greater misery throughout our world.  We can pipe into our homes graphic images of man’s inhumanity to man.  It makes us feel helpless.  Wouldn’t it be better to not know about it?

Maybe the answer is to not be overwhelmed at the big picture.  Jesus said that we have enough to be concerned about in our immediate environment (Matthew 6:34).  Is that good enough?  Or is it just a start?

Evangelist John Wesley (18th century) had some suggestions.  In what later would be called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (1964) Wesley said that there are four areas in which we can learn of our Creator and what he wants from us:

SCRIPTURE – He was referring to the Bible.  The Old Testament makes the assumption that God gave out His information through the Jews.  The New Testament centers on God’s son, Jesus, who sacrificed His life for us.  Can we get any more from scripture than how to live our lives?  Is there a plan of salvation clearly outlined for us?

TRADITION – Wesley said that not only the writings of the church fathers, but religious traditions in place today should carry some weight in securing what we believe.  But what if the church fathers got it wrong?  Is it possible that the belief system of the masses could have some holes?

REASON – This one could be used on the other three.  Wesley saw reason as a way to correct interpretation of scripture or proper examination of religious teachings.  But what about “God’s ways are higher than our ways?”  Don’t we have to take a lot of things on faith, even though they don’t make sense?

EXPERIENCE – What is working for you?  Do you feel peace and freedom?  Are you secure in the destiny of your soul?  Then maybe it’s working for you.  But what if you’re wrong?

John Wesley fought for the free will of man working in conjunction with the leading of the Holy Spirit. He taught that these four tools must be used in balance, that over-emphasizing one would be detrimental to our spiritual growth.

Which one is the most important to you?  Can you balance them and come out alive?

Inspiration is the antithesis of apathy.  Action is preferable to inaction.  The spark within us is what makes life interesting.  It not only gives us hope, but puts feet on our faith.  So where does that spark come from?

Some would argue that it is all cause and effect.  We react to stimulus.  Someone begs us to do something, the weather is perfect for …, or a new revelation prompts us to share it with others.  Any number of sensual signals can start our inspirational engines.  Inspire is from the Latin, meaning “to breathe upon or into.”

The Bible says that “all Scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)  Does that mean just the Old Testament, since it was written in the New Testament?  Or do we Christians have the right to include the canonized Bible (both Testaments) as the God-breathed Word of God?  Is it really infallible?  If it’s truly inspired, could the men that wrote it have put their own spin on some things?

We are all created by God.  Our minds contain the seat of the soul, the very connection to Him.  So can’t we say, as George MacDonald writes, that “the inspiration of the Almighty alone gives understanding?”  Is all inspiration more or less a pay-it-forward from God?  That is, when we inspire others, isn’t it God (or God’s Spirit) inspiring us to inspire others, and so on?  Or can evil be inspired, either by Satan or selfish people?

I like the association of inspire to breathing.  Breathing is necessary to life.  So is inspiration.  Some people have good “breath,” and others have nasty “breath.”  What is our role in generating or receiving inspiration? Do we just let it happen?  I feel inspired to write these articles.  I constantly have thoughts and ideas going through my mind, but there are many times when I have to force myself to put them in writing.  So, am I just manufacturing inspiration, or am I just too lazy sometimes to harvest the fruit?

What — or who — inspires you?  I’d like to know.

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

- Jesus (John 8:12)

I love light.  When we have too many overcast days in a row, especially during winter, I can feel my inner light begin to flicker, and the cold seems that much colder.  But when the sun finally starts to peek through the clouds, it’s like God saying, “I’m back!”  I particularly enjoy it when the light bursts forth in distinct rays, like announcing a grand entrance.  Scottish theologian and author George MacDonald wrote that God gave the British so many nasty days that they might appreciate the good ones.

Jesus is often portrayed in the gospels and in Revelation as a glorious being, emanating a great light. While John of Patmos may be referring to a physical feature (Revelation 1:14,15), and likewise the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9), Jesus’ comment is of a spiritual nature.

Prior to the Son of God’s arrival, the world was in darkness.  Even the established religion of the land felt oppressive.  God felt less like a father, and more like an awesome force to tremble before.  And even with Christianity’s 2.5 billion followers, much of the world still seems in darkness.  The light of Jesus is needed now more than ever.

It’s interesting to note that he called himself the light of the world.

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The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130

As true as these words are, it is easy to misunderstand the meaning. What are the words of God? Most people that you ask would quickly point you to the Bible. This collection of writings, spanning better than 3,000 years, is the accepted standard of man’s relationship with his Creator.

It is not only the centerpiece for all of Christianity, it is touted as the only Word of God for most of Christendom. Like the Bible Belt comment for the Authorized King James Version (“If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it’s good enough for me!”), we make the assumption that men have always had it, and that God directed the writing and compilation of it.

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The Holy Bible is the primary guidebook for millions of spiritual followers around the world.  It’s touted as still the best-selling book ever.  The fact that it has been expanded from the King James Version to more modern translations and paraphrases is likely what has kept its ranking in book sales.  Add to that the many study Bibles (for men, women, teens, depressed people, workaholics, charismatics, etc.), and you can see why it remains popular.  But is it really God’s word?

One of the best dialogues I have heard recently was on the Neal Boortz talk radio show (I’m recreating it as best I can from memory.), when a caller remarked that God didn’t like such and such, to which Boortz replied, “How do you know that God doesn’t like it?”

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