Test All Things; Hold Fast What is Good

    We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to test all things and to hold fast what is good. Now, I am not saying to live by experience, but rather live as God shows us in His word. Let me give you a few examples below.

   I used to follow a newspaper forum that had a section on religious beliefs. There were mostly opinions by non-believers about what they thought their “god” should do or would do, if they were “God,” including a person that would repeatedly state how God is some malicious, murdering butcher.

   In the Old Testament, there are indeed, the many times where God would have total families and their belongings, utterly wiped off the face of the Earth.  And so, ignorant people question God... if God is supposed to be such a wonderful, mercy filled, and loving God, then how could He wipe out the innocent people such as the little children, the babies, and wives and women that lived in these communities? The idea was that surely there had to be some nice people in that place.

   Now on the surface, this man, named “Freethinker,” would seem to have a good point until you would test his theories with God’s word, the Bible.

   For starters, I would tell him that although I didn’t have all of the answers, I knew there was and is a God and that even though I couldn’t give him the reasons, I knew God was a God of love and mercy. H ...